100 Theme Challenge
by Reizbar-Ookami
Summary: In which Reizbar-Ookami jumps on the 100 theme challenge bandwagon and puppyships the hell out of them. I feel like I'm the last to know about these things.
1. Introduction

Author's Note: I needed a break and decided that this was clearly that break. WHAT THE FUCK AM I EVEN ON HOW IS THIS A BREAK. Bandwagon, anyone? Okay bye. OTL

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><p><span>Introduction<span>

—_Rightly so, of course. Now, if I may direct your attentions to earlier in my youth, you'll find that the photographs I took then—_

Seto jumped as he heard a 'thunk' of bone meeting wood and turned quickly, rolling his eyes when he found the blond that had asked him to accompany him to the show had passed out on the table. Prodding his shoulder sharply, he hissed, "Wheeler, you asked me to come to this. The least you could do is stay awake through the artist's introduction!"

"Huhn?" Joey jerked awake and sat up, blinking blearily. "What the fu—This windbag still talkin'?"

"I would have assumed that you'd have known how much of a 'windbag' he was before coming to this event," the brunet whispered, scowling at him.

"He. Takes. Nice. Photos," the younger boy ground out. "I don't even know why he got invited t' this event, and I was gonna be damned if I suffered through this alone."

"You could have just turned down the invitation!"

The blond gave him a sour expression before snapping, "You could have just turned down mine."

"Maybe I should have."

Joey flinched a little, but refused to show the hurt on his face. "Well, it's not too late for you t' leave. Just bow out sayin' ya got a call from the company. It's not like anyone will blame ya."

Seto sat up a little and moved to push his chair back. He didn't have to put up with this nonsense. He didn't even know why he'd come—

As he walked out of the dining room and toward the door, a woman with a microphone approached him, smiling widely. "Mr. Kaiba, we've heard that you're Mr. Wheeler's guest tonight. How do you feel about—"

"Miss, I've a company to run and I don't have time for an interview," he snapped, sweeping past her.

"—His appointment to… Oh." She frowned as she watched him leave, then turned to her cameraman, forcing another smile. "Well, I'm sure he had someplace important to be, otherwise he would have stayed through the dinner service."

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto opened the paper and snorted when he saw his stocks has dipped a few points—not a lot, but enough to be an irritant. He wondered what he'd done now that the public didn't like, considering he didn't have any games coming out for another week or two. He turned to the gossip pages to figure out what he'd done and perhaps mend whatever bridge they said he'd burned.

_**Gallery Awards Joseph Wheeler Artist of the Year**_

Seto felt his heart immediately sink to his toes, reading through the article almost frantically as he realized that Joey hadn't just invited him because he needed someone to go with that actually knew how to sit through a fancy dinner. Their on-again-off-again relationship had been on recently, so he'd just figured Joey wanted to go out on a date and what better way to do it and appear like friends than to a public event, but apparently, that hadn't been the case.

—_When asked about the bruise on his forehead, Mr. Wheeler commented, "Well, I've never been good with introductions, especially long ones. It's not that I didn't enjoy Mr. Navardi's presentation, but I had stayed up late the night before putting the finishing touches on the picture the gallery wants to use as the focal point for my show."_

Beside a picture of the smiling artist was another picture—terrible quality, because it was black and white, but it was enough to make out the picture as a white dragon and a black dragon curled together.

Seto ripped the paper to shreds and threw them on the floor.

.-.-.-.-.-.

It was magnificent.

The white, blue-eyed dragon was standing tall and proud, its open maw showing each sharp, shiny tooth damp with saliva. Its tail curled around the smaller black dragon's, silvery-white tiers clasping spiked black scales like a hand. The black dragon didn't sit idly, though, its own long neck wrapping around the white one's like a scarf and red eyes narrowed in a dangerous glare.

There was a nest behind them. A large nest, made of branches and small trees, the bottom covered with what looked like moss. Each strand of dark green plant was meticulously painted, just as the shine of each scale was, the sheen of each damp tooth and the dirt on each off-white claw.

…The nest was filled with eggs. Each egg was white or black, but the whites and blacks were accented by light pinks and baby blues. He couldn't tell whether it meant the eggs were male and female or if it was homage to the color of the dragons' eyes, but it was beautiful and Seto regretted not taking Joey more seriously when he boasted about being an artist.

"Do ya like it?"

Seto turned his head and couldn't help a smile as he found the blond looking up at him nervously. "And what if I don't?"

"…Please don't set fire t' my paintin'. I spent months on it."

The older boy snorted in surprise, dissolving into an amused chuckle at the surprisingly earnest expression on the blond's face. "God, Joey, what kind of person do you think I am?"

"…The kind that rips up a card so it can't be used against 'im."

"…Alright, I concede that that is not one of my better moments," Seto replied slowly. "However, I would never set fire to one of your paintings."

Joey tilted his head skeptically. "Ya wouldn't?"

The brunet scowled at him. "Joey—"

"Ya ripped up that card 'cause ya couldn't have it. Ya got crazy pissed when ya saw the way Pegasus made your dragon chibi. I was gonna ask ya, but I figured you wouldn't have anything against your dragon looking so scary." The blond shifted awkwardly. "Especially since she's bein' so bad ass."

"You've made the female bigger," Seto commented, surprised, but not as much as he thought he'd be. While quite a few reptiles were known as being patriarchal, it was not uncommon in the animal kingdom for females to be larger than males.

They gazed up at the picture for a few moments, just enjoying each others' company; it happened so rarely that even when it was awkward, it was cherished.

Finally, though, Seto muttered, "I'm sorry."

Joey turned to look up at him and frowned. "Ya didn't even ask why I was goin'. Ya didn't ask me why I was invited. Ya didn't take my paintin' seriously. I'm really good, Seto."

"I know." The brunet sighed quietly. "I'm very bad at this, Joey. I thought you would have realized by now. It's not that I don't _want_ a relationship; I'm just very bad at keeping them. Those women you saw me with in magazines were nice, but _they_ always left _me._ I'm just not very good at asking the right questions or doing the right things."

The younger man tilted his head as he stepped closer to gently brush their arms together. "Didn't they like _anything_ about ya, Kaiba?"

"…They liked the sex, but it wasn't enough to make up for my malformed affection-gland." Seto turned to look at him and frowned, eyebrows furrowing together in confusion. "You know, I've looked at dozens of different anatomical charts and pictures and I can't find it? And when I asked my doctor about it, he just laughed and told me to go home?"

"Oh. Seto, he—Hmm." Joey could only smile awkwardly and rest a hand on his arm. "Ya know, the only way that gets better is if ya have lots of practice. Doctors don't really help."

The brunet frowned. "Well, that doesn't help. I can't seem to stay in a relationship long enough to—"

"Well maybe if ya would keep seein' me regularly instead of this on-off thing we got goin' on, maybe I could help ya," the younger boy retorted shortly.

Seto paused. "…Perhaps you're right." He tilted his head thoughtfully. "I don't know why you'd be willing to do that when I've been such a bastard to you, though."

Joey shrugged. "Maybe I'm attracted t' bastards." He smiled at the brunet when he only blinked at him and murmured, "Don't worry, Kaiba. I'll help ya with your malformed affection-gland." So saying, he pressed a kiss to the brunet's cheek.

Seto frowned. "Where _is_ this gland, anyway?" When the blond began to laugh, he scowled. It wasn't a laughing matter, especially when Joey unless-it's-bleedin'-or-broken-it's-fine Wheeler knew where it was and he didn't. That didn't exactly make him feel better.


	2. Complicated

Author's Note: Tangents. Why do I always go off on them?

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><p><span>Complicated<span>

Their relationship hadn't _started_ complicated. It had started with angry sex, and they'd been content with that—Joey because sex was good, and even if it was rough, it was _awesome,_ and Seto because he rarely had sex recreationally and he was glad to finally find someone who wouldn't immediately go to the press about him. They'd get together once or twice a week and fuck like bunnies and then go about their separate ways. It was simple, satisfactory, and just _worked_ somehow.

Then… things changed.

Yugi and Téa had gotten together. It wasn't unexpected, of course, because even Joey and Tristan could see that they liked each other, and they'd been friends for forever, so just taking the next step was just… the right thing for them. Things had been okay, for a while, but then… Tristan had gotten together with Serenity. He'd been okay with it, of course. Tristan wasn't a bad guy, and Serenity could protect herself when push came to shove. Joey had been included in lots of activities with both couples, but he always felt like a fifth wheel.

Then the sex-buddies arrangement didn't work as well for him. Everything got complicated after that. While he'd still drop by to have sex with Seto every once in a while, he struggled to find someone to be with himself. He wanted someone to kiss and cuddle and date, not someone that would just pound him into the sheets, feed him, and send him away.

He was just doing a terrible job of it. And apparently, doing a terrible job of hiding how annoyed he was about being terrible at it.

"What's wrong? Was I not good enough tonight?" Seto murmured, sitting up and running a hand down the blond's thigh. "You want to try a different position?"

"…I want a girlfriend," Joey whispered, frowning. "Or a boyfriend. Or… someone I can hang out with while everyone else is doin' coupley stuff. I'd really like it if I had someone t' spend time with without feeling like a third or fifth wheel."

The brunet blinked in surprise. "…You… want a girlfriend? Or boyfriend?"

"Well, yeah," the younger boy grunted, frowning. He squeaked as the brunet slid his hand up the inside of his thigh. "Gawd, we did it twice, moneybags. Gimme a minute t' breathe!"

"…I wouldn't mind doing those things with you," Seto commented idly. "I'm sure that I could deal with your geek squad long enough for a few group dates. I'm not quite certain what exactly these 'coupley' things are, but I have a general idea. And Mokuba can help me. I shouldn't be _too_ incompetent as a boyfriend."

Joey blinked at him slowly before his lips quirked into an awkward smile. "…You applyin' for the position, Kaiba?"

The older boy turned to look at him inquisitively. "Is that alright?" He paused. "…I'm afraid I don't have very many references. …And most of them are bad. …Because I broke up with them…"

He was treating it like a job. Joey felt that if it was anyone else, he might be offended, but since it was socially-retarded Seto Kaiba, it was just really cute.

"Kaiba, startin' a relationship isn't really that complicated," he sighed, rolling over to wrap his arms around his waist. "You could start by cuddlin' me."

Seto hummed and stretched out beside him, sliding an arm over his stomach and clutching his side like a pillow. "I must admit that I don't cuddle much."

"Get used t' it. I'm gonna be your blanket," Joey stated firmly. He then proved it by rolling on top of the brunet and snuggling up to his chest.

"…This seems like it would get very uncomfortable, very quickly." Nonetheless, he slid his arms around the blond's waist and hugged him gently. "You should have given me more notice so I could do something special for you."

Joey hummed quietly. "Just the thought is really enough, Kaiba."

"Still. I feel like I should do something." Seto paused as he stroked a hand through his hair. "…You're really soft."

The blond frowned in confusion. "…Thank… you…?"

The older boy paused. "…I meant your hair. Your hair is really soft."

"…You're so fuckin' weird." Joey kissed his collarbone lightly. "I have the feelin' that you're gonna make this just as complicated as ever."

Seto snorted. "Complicated? You're the complicated one."

"I am not, ya idiot."

The brunet hummed and contemplated informing him just how many things made him the more complicated one, but he was comfortable and he didn't feel like getting punched in the face, so he just held him tighter. He had no idea what Joey was talking about, though. Relationships had always seemed simple to him.

…Maybe that was why he always terminated them. Hmm.


	3. Making History

Author's Note: I have nothing to say about this other than WHAT THE FUCK, BRAIN. OTL You had tons of different ideas and _this_ was the only one you decided to let me write out completely?

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><p><span>Making History<span>

Seto hissed and dug his claws into the blond's milky thighs. "You're testing me."

"Nyu!" Joey arched his back and sighed. "'Course I am." He rubbed back against the brunet's cock and purred quietly. "Not every day that a king comes int' town and picks up a whore." He turned to glance over his shoulder at the brunet and smirked. "I wanted t' see if you're really as patient as they say ya are. 'sides, 'm makin' history, here. They say ya don't like blond whores."

The brunet hissed again and dug his claws in harder, eyes narrowing as the little black tail in front of him twitched in what could only be a taunting manner. "I thought I was quite patient until I saw your tail wiggling at me."

"Can't take a little tail-teasin', huh?" Joey stuck out his tongue playfully, peering at him from under his lashes. When he saw his blue eyes narrow and begin to glow, he mewed and rocked back again, purring as the hard cock rubbed between his cheeks. "Mm! So big!" He peeked over his shoulder again. "That's gonna burn as it goes in. It's been so long since I've had someone as big as you."

Seto whined, licking his lips frantically as the blond's tail twitched again. "Gods. I thought I was patient, too."

"Nyee!" Joey yelped as he was bent forward. "So much for that-!"

Seto snarled.

"Oh gawd don't bite me there ah!"

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey moaned and rolled onto his back, eyes fluttering open slowly. "Ouchies…"

The bed was cold on the side the brunet had been on. He really should have expected that, though.

Sitting up slowly, he whimpered and rubbed the small of his back. He ached in places he didn't even know he had, and he still felt cum dribbling down his legs. Seto had fucked him silly in dozens of positions, even when he'd begged for rest. Of course, he hadn't really fought that hard when Seto said he'd pay him triple what he'd promised.

Ears perking up slightly when he remembered the amount he'd be paid, he turned toward the table, eyes bright with the thought that he would be able to take it easy for a couple of weeks—even squirrel some of the money away so he could get away from this town and start fresh. He opened the drawer and reached inside, pulling out the little sack of coins that had been left behind.

…It wasn't even the normal amount he was usually paid. It was actually two coins less—quite a lot, when the price of food for the week cost him that two extra coins, never mind the rent he paid for his sister and mother.

'_This is why no one likes rich customers. They promise more, and when ya try t' collect, they say they never said anything like that and no one believes a whore's word over someone so high in status.'_

He really should have known better. Seto was a wolf—an alpha wolf, a _king_—and he was just a little dog whore. Like he would treat a bitch any nicer than he would some trash. Especially a _dog._

Joey covered his face with one hand and forced back the tears he felt forming in his eyes. So much for taking a few days to heal. He'd have to get back to his corner by nightfall and try to make up for his loss. "Damn. Fuckin' cheapskate."

He moved to slide out of bed and yelped, tears forming in his eyes again as his back throbbed. He wouldn't be any good tonight. He hoped he was bought by someone who didn't mind fucking a limp body, because working for his money would be excruciating tonight.

He heard something jingle just before something the bed with a thump. Turning, he was surprised to find a larger bag, assuming it was filled with more coins. He looked to the door and couldn't help the submissive whine that escaped his throat when he realized it was the more dominant canine that had made him submit again and again the night before and _like_ it. "You…"

"I don't carry that much money on me when I go out," Seto stated, shrugging. "I promised you triple. I didn't think I'd come back to find you a teary wreck."

"Shut up. Ya have no idea how hard it is t' pay for food and rent after some rich asshole bangs and bolts," Joey snapped, rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands. "'sides, ya made me so sore that I don't think I can even fuck properly for a few days." He stood and gasped softly as his entire body throbbed in protest. "Oh!"

Seto swallowed thickly as his cock twitched, body responding to the younger boy's submissive cry. Licking his lips, he stepped into the room and closed the door. "I'll pay you the same amount if you stay in bed with me today."

"Psh, ya fucked me so hard I can barely walk," Joey mumbled, scowling, and limped a step toward the washbasin. "How the hell am I s'posed t' sell this?" He yelped as the brunet's big hands suddenly clamped down on his hips, claws digging into his skin lightly. "Nn-!"

"How would you like to make history in a way other than being the first blond whore I've fucked?" the brunet cooed, nuzzling his throat, then snarled and threw him back onto the bed.

The younger boy mewed helplessly as the alpha opened his legs and immediately nuzzled between his cheeks, blushing as he felt his hot, wet tongue run over his throbbing entrance. "Oh!"

Seto shuddered with arousal as the blond continued to mewl and whimper and squirm like a bitch in heat. However, he knew the poor dog demon's body couldn't handle anymore for a few days, so he made do with licking and kissing the part of him that had been so thoroughly abused the night before. He trailed his claws over the scabs on the blond's hips and thighs and purred quietly.

Joey squirmed a few minutes longer before falling limp with a defeated mew. "Oh…! What th' hell were ya talkin' about, makin' history-!"

The brunet sat up and smirked. "How would you like to make history as the first dog demon to mate into the Kaiba clan?"

"M-mate?" The younger boy stared up at him in shock, mouth opening and closing as if he wanted to speak but couldn't find the words.

Seto frowned when the blond fell limp. "Joey? Hey, are you—Hey!" He shook him a little, but it became apparent that the dog demon had been overwhelmed and had fainted.

At least, he hoped that was what had happened. Then again, Joey had complained of being incredibly sore, and last night he'd been rather rough with him…

Seto whined and let the blond's legs fall to the bed, reaching up to brush his hair out of his eyes. Perhaps he should go get a doctor.

…He couldn't help feeling a little let down and rejected, though. From what he'd heard, this wasn't usually how propositions for mating were supposed to go.


	4. Rivalry

Author's Note: TANGENTS. STOP MAKING MY MIND WANDER!

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><p><span>Rivalry<span>

There had always been rivalry between the Blue-Eyes White Dragons and the Red-Eyes Black Dragons. The larger, more powerful dragons had always been more aggressive, whether it came from territorial fights or courtship, and the black dragons had only responded in kind—unless they were carrying eggs. Then they were vicious.

Joey had always been one of the loudest in doing so, though. "Gah! Lemme go, bastard!"

Seto curled his tail around the smaller dragon and hummed. "Hush. You'll disturb the eggs."

"I gotta pee!" the black dragon whined, squirming. "Lemme go, asshole!"

"You can hold it a little while longer."

"_I'll pee on you._"

The white dragon immediately withdrew his tail, frowning. "You should go before settling to sleep."

"I _did_ go before we settled," Joey grumbled, waddling out of the cave. "These eggs keep pressin' on my bladder weird."

Seto held back the comment that perhaps the fact that he didn't actually lay his eggs had something to do with it. He'd made that mistake before and, in a fit of rage and mood-swinging hormones, Joey had burst into tears and begun slapping him with his big claws, saying it wasn't his fault that his species of dragon were ovivipary and he would have _loved_ to make a nest like all of the other white dragons and lay the eggs and take care of them and heat them and cuddle them.

Seto hadn't actually realized what it meant to black dragons. He'd always figured they got more aggressive toward white dragons during pregnancy because of the hormones, not because they were jealous. But he'd seen the way Joey had stared longingly as a couple of white dragons had begun to make a nest in their den, had seen the way he nuzzled other dragons' eggs when he babysat for them. He was jealous. He _wanted_ to make a nest and snuggle with the eggs. He just… wasn't capable of it.

Black dragons were desert-dwellers by nature and didn't make nests, instead having their kits follow them like baby ducks as their nomadic instincts led them from oasis to oasis. Still, as the black dragons had leaked into tropic valleys and mountains rather than the arid deserts, they had been open to learning new ways.

But Joey couldn't do the things he wanted to do like nest and cuddle eggs. The eggs were inside of him and his instincts would drive him to lead them to a different den after they'd been fed their first meals, so he couldn't even make a nest for them to enjoy.

Seto lifted one of his wings and his tail as the black dragon waddled back over to him, laying his wing across his back and curling his tail around him gently. He grunted as the smaller dragon rolled over against him. "Ow."

Joey rolled onto his back and groaned. "There are only a half a dozen eggs in me, so why are they heavyyyy?" He wiggled uncomfortably. "Help!"

The white dragon sat up a little and reached over him to pull him up against his side, supporting a little of his weight. "Is this better?"

Joey whined. "A little. Seto, you never get to have sex with me during my heat again."

To say he was disgruntled was an understatement. "Say what?"

"You can have sex with me when I'm not in heat," the black dragon offered.

The larger male frowned. "…What if we decide we want more kits?" He hadn't told his mate yet, but as he'd come from a small family, he wanted lots of kits. _Lots_ of them.

Joey scowled. "If we decide we want more, than of course ya can have sex with me durin' my heat. Are you an idiot?"

Seto paused. "…I might be. A little."

"What if we want more kits, can I have sex with ya then, what sort of stupid are you?" the smaller dragon grumbled. He squirmed to lean more of his weight on the white scales. "'s almost enough t' make me go tell Yugi and Yami what a terrible mate ya are."

Seto frowned. "Why _don't_ you tell them?"

Joey hummed, lips curling up into a grin that exposed all of his sharp teeth. "'cause then they'd blabber it t' everyone, and I _like_ watchin' ya beat up all those other males when they hit on me, and if they knew I was taken, they wouldn't do it!"

"You like watching me beat every potential rival away from you?" The dragon pursed his lips (quite a comedic expression for a dragon, but it still conveyed annoyance). "You sadistic little bitch."

"I like watching my mate protect me from those big scary meanies that only wanna hump me and dump me," Joey cooed.

Seto was disgruntled but had to admit that knowing his mate enjoyed being protected by him gave him a rather… warm and fuzzy feeling. He liked it quite a lot.

"You're lucky you're cute," he mumbled after a moment, laying his head over the black dragon's neck. "Otherwise I'd never put up with this."

Joey purred. "I suppose carryin' your kits has nothin' t' do with it."

"I've seen a mama duck with her ducklings. I think watching them follow you around will be adorable." Seto smiled a little. "Knowing I helped make them just makes it more special."

The black dragon snuggled closer, trembling with the want to laugh at his sudden realization that Seto sometimes followed him around like a baby duck, too.

And to think their relationship had started with a bitter rivalry over who was stronger!


	5. Unbreakable

Author's Note: LOL this is short but it just seemed to fit so well. **:**D

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><p><span>Unbreakable<span>

"Hey, Kaiba, you said your newest duel disk is unbreakable, right?" Yugi asked with only a hint of the anxiety that he felt.

Seto didn't look up from his computer. "That's right."

"…And, what happens if it _does_ break?"

"I reimburse the person and then I fire the shit out of the entire department that said it was unbreakable," the brunet replied, sighing, then turned to scowl at him. "Why? Did you break yours?"

Yugi smiled nervously. "Well, no, not _really._"

Seto stared at him for a moment. "…I don't like the way you said that."

He jumped as something slammed on top of his desk and turned to face it immediately, startled to find a broken duel disk sitting on top of it and still spitting sparks. "What the—"

"BOOYAH!" Joey pointed in his face with a grin. "Hope ya didn't pay too much for this new 'unbreakable' shit, Kaiba, 'cause it didn't take much to trash it!" So saying, he skipped over to his desk, sat down, and began humming happily.

Seto gaped. "…Wha…"

"…Whenever something 'unbreakable' is released by your company, Joey just takes it as a personal challenge," Yugi explained. He smiled awkwardly. "You'll still reimburse me for that, right?"

"…HOW!" Seto roared. "HOW DID YOU DO THIS!"


	6. Obsession

Obsession

Joey picked up one of the dragon statuettes from the brunet's dresser and turned toward him. "Ya know, ya really shoulda talked t' your therapist about your dragon obsession before ya fired him."

"Like hell. I know it's unhealthy," Seto snapped, scowling, and leaned his head in his hand. "I don't need some quack telling me so when I already know; why waste time?"

"…Can ya even walk past a white dragon bobble and not buy it?"

The brunet glared at him. "_Yes,_ I can walk past a white dragon bobble and not buy it!"

Joey hummed and tilted his head, glancing at the long line of statuettes also sitting atop his dresser.

"…Most of the time. If it's one I already have."

"I think ya might need help," the blond mumbled, placing the dragon back between the other two—Seto was very particular about where he wanted his dragons.

Always.

"Oh, speaking of which, I got another dragon."

"GAH?" Joey spun toward him, sputtering in surprise and outrage. "Seto, ya gotta have hundreds of these things already—"

"Nine hundred and fifty-three," Seto replied, walking over to his dresser and carefully moving a couple of them out of the way as he held up the small bag his newest statuette was in. "—Fifty-four."

"I can't _believe _you'd—" Joey began, nearly disgusted at the wastes of money (some of these poses were only off by a scale or two). Still, he understood that sometimes lots of money made people crazy, and if Seto wasn't crazy, he was at least a little stupid. "Seto, if that's another one in that stupid 'RAWR I'MMA DRAGON' poses, I'm gonna—Huh?"

The new dragon… was black.

And, as he watched his lover carefully pick one of the white dragons and place it so the two were curled together, bowed necks shaped like a heart, the blond could only come to the conclusion that Seto's obsession was adorable.

Especially when, as the weeks progressed, more and more black dragon statuettes began appearing on his dresser, cuddled up to the white ones that had until then been alone.


	7. Eternity

Author's Note: How do I come up with these plots sometimes? **:|**

* * *

><p><span>Eternity<span>

Seto hummed and leaned back in his chair, unable to help a smirk as the humans standing in front of him flinched or shivered. After all of the other humans he'd examined, these were the ones most suited to his tastes, and he couldn't help the sadistic high he got from knowing that one of them would be tied to him for eternity. While he hadn't been too thrilled with the prospect of mating, he knew it was customary for demons his age to pick a human and settle down to make babies for a few decades. He was at his physical peak, his powers were at their maximum for his age, and he was quite a catch.

It was a shame that he had to mate with a human, but mating with other demons had always resulted in birth defects and murder of one of the mated couple. Humans were more docile, feisty but not as violent as another demon would be, and demons couldn't bring themselves to hurt their human mates, both out of the respect and the instinctive need to protect their weaker mate.

Seto stood and waved his hand dismissively. "Alright, the blond then. Thank you for your time, Ertia."

"You're welcome, sir." The demoness bowed deeply, then turned, motioning for the other humans to follow her.

Seto couldn't help but notice the sighs and whimpers of relief as the other humans scampered out of the room. "…I'm not that scary, am I?"

The blond human cringed a little. "O-other demons said ya… um… shattered b-bones in some of your… f-former lovers."

The demon hummed. "Broken bones, yes, but not shattered." When the human flinched, eyes wide, he couldn't help a smirk and leaned toward him to whisper, "Mostly pelvises."

The human made a noise half of surprise and half utter terror. "I-!"

Seto frowned, immediately feeling guilty for frightening the human that would be his mate and bear his children for eternity. "I was kidding. I've only broken a few arms and a leg, and that was only because my lovers _demanded_ rough sex. You'll notice I have only one ribbon around my tail, and that was for murdering a succubus trying to seduce my underage, over-drugged brother."

The blond leaned around him and bit his bottom lip when he saw the black ring around the tip of his tail. "…I guess I'll believe ya, huh…" He gasped as the demon grabbed his hair and yanked his head back, whimpering quietly as the demon's eyes began to glow and bored into his own. "Ngh-!"

"Joseph Wheeler," the demon purred, stepping closer to him. "Age nineteen, already taken the potion regimen to make you capable of having children, also taken the potion to make your body receptive to mine… Are you ready to take me in your little hole, Joey? Do you want me to ram you into the bed until you come?"

Joey gasped and bit his bottom lip, blushing as the brunet leaned his face against his neck. "Uhn…"

"Do you like me talking dirty to you?" Seto cooed, sliding his knee between the blond's legs. "You like the idea of being fucked by me? Being fucked by a big, _strong_ demon until you're nothing but a puddle of goo on the sheets?" He chuckled as the human shuddered against him. "You smell good, Joey. You smell like a bitch in heat." His eyeteeth grew longer. "I just want to shove my cock into you and fuck you until you can't even _blink_ without feeling sore."

"_Ahn!_" Screaming as the brunet's teeth sunk into his throat, Joey tried to pull away, but part of him already wanted to arch against him and impale himself on the demon's cock.

Seto pawed between his legs for a moment, then swept the blond off of his feet, carrying him swiftly to his room; he'd be damned if he didn't claim his new mate on his bed, since it would be where he was staying for a few weeks—and longer, once he got his little human pregnant.

"No-!" The blond gasped again and arched his back. "Nn, you're gonna break me in half-!"

"I'll be careful with you," the demon whispered, laying him on the bed and gently opening his legs. "I won't break you."

"Don't break my pelvis—I need that-!" Breath hitching as the brunet tore his clothes off, he turned his head away when the older boy took a moment to examine him. "Don't look at me…!"

Seto purred and stroked a hand down his thigh. "But you're _beautiful._" He pushed the blond's knees up and hummed, unable to ignore the delight that filled him when he saw the blond's damp entrance. "I love that even males can get wet when they take that potion," he breathed, then dipped his head to kiss the little pucker.

Joey arched in surprise, startled, and sobbed when he felt the demon's hot tongue inside of him. "Oh-! Oh yes!"

Leaning back, the demon licked his lips and couldn't help a grin when the blond's hips arched upward. "Is your body hungry for me, Joey?" He slid a finger into the human and purred again. "_Ooh,_ so _snug._"

"Oh gods yes," the blond sighed, gripping the blankets in his hands tightly as his body throbbed with need. "Please… Please…!" He mewed and looked up at him with teary eyes. "Put it in…! Put it in me!"

Seto grinned and licked his lips as he settled between the human's legs. "It'll burn."

Joey threw his head back and sobbed. "I don't care, just _fuck_ me, I—_Oh! Oh! __**OH!**_"

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto looked the younger boy over and grinned so smugly that it almost hurt to look at him. He looked good, covered in cum and littered with dozens of hickeys and bite marks. Stroking his hand over the blond's stomach, he couldn't help the pride he felt, knowing that his children would soon be forming there.

Joey mewed as he felt more cum trickling down between his thighs, flinching as the brunet pressed his fingers into him again. "Ooh… Stop… Hn…"

"That aches?" The demon smirked. "Good. You're going to ache for a few days."

"Uhn!" Reaching down to grab the older boy's wrist, the blond peered up at him with teary eyes. "Please, no more…!"

Something about his expression made Seto pause. He reached up to cup one of the human's flushed cheeks and stroked his thumb over his cheekbone, taking in his swollen, bruised lips, the desperate expression on his face, the tears just barely staying in his eyes. He didn't have any horns or wings, tails or tattoos, but somehow, that just made him more attractive.

His eyes traced over the human's skin, taking in every minute scar and blemish, before settling back on his face. "I have a beautiful mate," he finally whispered, leaning down to kiss him gently. He heard the blond make a noise half-denial and half-exhaustion but ignored it in favor of letting his tongue wander across his skin and his mouth make more hickeys and bite marks.

Joey arched weakly into his touches and groaned. "Nngh… Please… I just wanna… sleep… huhhh…"

The demon purred and sat up, cooing, "I'll let you sleep then." He smiled. "After all, we have all of eternity. You can rest." He pressed a kiss to the blond's forehead. "We'll have plenty of time to continue later."

"Seto… hnn…" He was nervous at the thought that the demon would continue having sex with him later when he already ached, but he had no doubt that he would be taken care of at the same time. Seto had been tender and gentle when he'd taken him, had made sure he was okay with everything he did before he continued.

Besides, that tail had done some _very_ interesting things to him, and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't looking forward to it at least a little.


	8. Gateway

Author's Note: I've always imagined Joey to be bad at computers. I've also always imagined that Seto would be impatient whenever he tried to explain them.

* * *

><p><span>Gateway<span>

"…I still don't get it."

Seto made a noise that was a cross between a growl of annoyance and a sigh of desperation. "I don't know how to make it any easier for you to understand! It's just software or hardware that links two computer networks! It doesn't _get_ any simpler!"

Joey stared at the computer screen for a few moments before turning toward him with pursed lips, ready to accuse him of getting upset too easily, but when he saw that the brunet was literally ready to rip his hair out in frustration, he changed his mind. "So… a gateway links two networks?"

The brunet sighed in relief. "Yes, that's exactly what it is."

"…Um…"

Seto's eye twitched. "Do you know what I mean by network, Joey?"

Joey opened his mouth to reply that no, he didn't, but when he saw the vein in his lover's temple begin to pulse, he thought better of it. "Of course I know what a network is, Seto."

"Explain to _me_ what a network is then, Joey," the brunet hissed, scowling at him.

"It's… er… a thing where…" The younger boy squeaked nervously as he watched the brunet's hands grip into fists so tight his knuckles turned white. He flinched. "Er… Seto?"

"_What?_" Seto's eyes were nearly wild with his irritation.

"…Um… Ya want me t' blow ya?"

The brunet made a noise that would have been funny if Joey hadn't been afraid he was about to be murdered. "You waste my time for an hour and a half, make me so frustrated I want to scream, and your solution is to—to give me a _blow job,_ as if that will make up for all of the frustration you've put me through?" he hissed, glaring at him.

"…So sex instead?"

Seto threw his hands up and let loose a roar that would have made his dragons proud. "WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOU!"

"…It's a kinda long list," Joey mumbled, frowning. "If ya give me a couple minutes, I could write it out for ya."

"IT WAS A RHETORICAL QUESTION UGH!"

Joey stood nervously and watched as the older boy sagged into his vacated chair, looking exhausted and still annoyed. "…Ya sure ya don't wanna blow job?"

He watched the brunet tense up for a moment and wondered whether he should run the fuck away, but then he sagged in exhaustion. "I guess."

The blond was immediately disgruntled. "Well, ya don't hafta be so put-out about it."

"Just… go away…" Seto sighed, turning toward his computer. "Please, direct all of your computer questions to Mokuba from now on."

Joey scowled, then got on his hands and knees and promptly crawled under the desk. "Asshole, I wasn't offerin' because I thought ya needed it, I was offerin' 'cause I wanted t' give ya one."

"Well then next time just say you want to give me a blow job," Seto grouched.

Joey answered, but it was muffled, and Seto was too distracted to listen properly.


	9. Death

Author's Note: …Seto's always been sort of crazy…

* * *

><p><span>Death<span>

Joey had never really been good at accepting death. He'd get angry and scream and then exhaust himself ranting at nothing.s

As it turned out, Seto was even worse.

"GAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Seto threw his control on the ground so hard the plastic cracked. "WHY DO THESE CHARACTERS TAKE SO LONG TO SPAWN!"

Joey stared.

"WHY THE—WHAT THE—FUCK YOU!" he roared, pointing at the TV, before stomping out of the room.

Joey watched him leave, eyes wide and almost terrified to make a noise and draw Seto's attention back to him. He turned back to the TV, watching as the brunet's character finally came back to life, then reached out to pause and save the game, so he could put the game away.

"DON'T YOU DARE TURN THAT GAME OFF!"

He flinched. Apparently, Seto wanted to get served more.

…He really hoped that Seto managed to beat the game before he died again.


	10. Opportunities

Author's Note: What. I don't even… Humans with animal ears/tails. **:|** Just… go with the flow.

* * *

><p><span>Opportunities<span>

Seto tugged at one of his long ears and groaned, damning whichever executive had decided that it would be a _great_ idea to send him out of town—away from others of his species that he knew and was comfortable with—_right _when his species went into heat. He was horny beyond belief and he just wanted to fuck the day away, but the only person he really knew was the secretary that had been assigned to him down here, who was just _barely_ competent enough to _be_ a secretary. Who knew that dogs could even manage to stop playing sports long enough to get a job that wasn't managerial?

Seto raised his eyebrow as the blond in question wandered in, chewing idly on a rawhide bone-toy. "Teeth bothering you?"

"Dentist said it would help keep me from chewin' on m' belt," he mumbled around the chew toy. "I ruined one while I was filin' yesterday, and 'm runnin' out."

"Mm. …Joey, you wouldn't happen to know any… rabbits, would you?"

"None that are single," he responded promptly, placing a new stack of papers in the brunet's 'IN' box and grabbing the stack from the 'OUT' box.

Seto scowled as the blond turned to walk away. "Of course not."

"Mayb' if ya jus' got yerself a gir'frien—Damn!" Snarling a little as he dropped his bone, Joey hugged the pile of papers against his stomach and bent over to pick it up.

When the dog's tail flew up and he was given an eyeful of his ass through the tight cloth of his slacks, Seto saw the opportunity to sate himself—and he took it.

"GAH!" Joey yelped as he felt the brunet grab his hips, blushing as he felt his hard cock against his ass and moving to stand up immediately. "What are ya—Lemme go—"

Seto used the blond's momentum against him and spun him around to slam him against the wall, gripping his wrists tightly as the canine squirmed. "Tell me you don't want this," he hissed, pressing between the blond's legs.

"I don't wan—Hnn…" Nose twitching as he took in the rabbit's hormones, Joey whimpered a little. "Ya really are horny…"

"Females of my species went into heat a week ago," Seto groaned. He began humping the blond lightly. "And you've been no help in finding someone to couple with." He smirked as the dog gasped and spread his legs a little. "At least, up until now."

"God ya horny bastard, get offa me," Joey groaned, trying to jerk his wrists free, then sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fine. Just hurry up so I can get back to work." He yelped as the brunet immediately tugged his pants down. "Don't rip my pants! I had t' pay a fortune for—EE!"

Seto thrust into him and groaned. "You're already lubed up. Did you have a date tonight?"

Joey gasped like a drowning man and threw his arms around his neck, eyes wide as the brunet immediately found the spot that made him see stars. "Oh God fuck me right there," he gasped, digging one hand roughly into his short brown hair. "Nn-! Wasn't goin' on a date!"

Purring quietly, the rabbit pressed him harder against the wall and bit his neck lightly. "Then why were you already wet and stretched, puppy?"

"Ngh, I was touchin' myself this morning," he groaned, arching into his thrusts and whining in approval. "Yeah… Right there… Kaiba-!"

Seto shuddered a little at the thought of the blond masturbating, quite enjoying the mental image he got. "What were you thinking about while you touched yourself?"

At that, the blond blushed a little. "N-nothin' special, just—" He gasped as the rabbit gave him a spank and whimpered helplessly. "You! Thinkin' about you!" He squealed as the older boy began humping him harder. "Uh-!"

Seto slammed him against the wall and rammed into him roughly. "Thinking about how I'd fuck you just—like—this?" he ground out, punctuating each word with another hard thrust.

Joey threw his head back and howled. "Yeah—Yeah—Just like this—_Yes!_"

"Ow!" The brunet flinched a little as the dog grabbed one of his long ears and yanked. "Gah-!"

Joey screamed as he came, digging his nails into what he thought was his palm. "_Kaiba!_"

Seto flinched a little as he felt the blond's nails break the skin of his ear. "Shit-!" The way the canine boy rippled around his cock undid him, though, despite the pain he felt, and he grunted quietly as he reached his climax as well. "Damn-!"

The younger boy yelped as he was promptly dropped, flinching as he felt the brunet's cum dripping down the back of his thighs. "Ugh, ow. Jeez, what was that for-!" he began, rubbing his tailbone, only to frown as he watched the older boy rush over to his desk and grab a handful of tissues. As the rabbit clutched the tissues to his long brown ear, he frowned, shakily getting to his feet. "Jeez, what's your problem?"

"You ripped my ear open!" the rabbit snapped, rushing over to the mirror and lifting the bloody tissues from his ear so he could see the damage. "Ow…! Damn…"

Joey hurriedly pulled his pants up and tucked his shirt in, frowning in concern. "Ya want me t' get some Band-Aids or gauze or somethin'-?"

"Just—get out and leave me alone," Seto snarled, grimacing as he gently touched the gashes. "Ow…"

"…Ya sure ya don't want—" the blond began, feeling bad for hurting him in a way that was apparently excruciating for him.

The rabbit turned to glare at him and barked, "GET OUT!"

Joey scampered to pick up the papers he'd dropped and scampered out of the room, slamming the door behind him. "Yipe!"

Seto pretended that seeing the damp spot forming on the back of the blond's pants didn't turn him on.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Err. You left this on the floor," Seto muttered, placing the blond's bone-chip on his desk.

Joey blinked at the bone for a moment before his eyebrows rose in realization. "Oh. I forgot." He reached out for it and shoved it back into his mouth. Then, he promptly spit it back out, gagging. "Oh gawd ya didn't even rinse it off!"

"I didn't know I was supposed to!" the brunet replied in surprise.

The canine boy shot him a glare. "What, ya think that just because I'm a dog that I pick up anything off the floor and lick it?"

"No, that's not what I—" Seto began, frowning.

"It's revenge, isn't it? You're mad that I accidentally hurt your ear so ya gave me this—Ya probably covered it with some drug or diseased paste or whatever!" Joey picked up the chip and threw it at him angrily. "If that's the thanks I get for lettin' ya fuck me while you're sufferin' blue balls, I quit!"

"That's not what happened!" the older man cut in hastily, grabbing the blond's shoulders before he could stomp away. "Now, just, hear me out—"

"You're just tryin' t' buy time until that poison starts workin'!" Joey exclaimed angrily, struggling against the brunet's grip. "Lemme go, ya horny bastard, I—"

Seto scowled. "If I poisoned you, getting worked up like this is only going to make it spread faster." When the blond froze, wide-eyed and stunned by the realization, Seto sighed and leaned forward to rub their noses together—further surprising the blond and making him relax a little, if only in confusion. "I didn't poison you," he explained slowly. "I don't chew bones. I eat carrots. I didn't know I was supposed to wash it and even if I had, I never would have thought you'd just shove it in your mouth as soon as you got it back without even looking at it."

"…Oh."

"And even if I _was_ mad about you clawing my ear, I wouldn't poison you. That just seems a bit much," the brunet deadpanned. "My ears are tender because of the plane ride—my ears don't pop and I get migraines and my ears are fragile for a few weeks afterward. They still hurt," he added, scowling. "Why do you think I keep them pressed down against my skull? I'm not a lop, but I'm tall, and if my ears are upright, they slap the doorway on my way through and I just wouldn't be able to handle that constant abuse after the plane ride."

"…Oh."

Seto scowled. "Stop saying 'oh' and let me apologize for being such a dick after we finished fucking!"

Joey's mouth fell open in surprise. "I… Um… Okay…" He paused, then giggled a little. "I forgive ya."

"I haven't apologized formally yet."

"…Kaiba, maybe you should go finish your paperwork. Ya got a meeting later this afternoon," the blond added, peeking at his calendar on the desk. He peered up at the brunet playfully and smiled. "And if ya finish early enough, ya might get another opportunity to find me bent over." He watched in satisfaction as the brunet immediately shut down, smile growing brighter. "I didn't become a secretary just 'cause I'm good at filin' things. The idea of bein' taken on a desk by my boss has always been kinky."

Seto opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again, then made a sound oddly like a strangled squeak and walked past him, slamming the door to his office closed behind him.

Joey grinned. "Executives are silly." But he couldn't help the shiver of excitement when he heard the brunet snarl a curse and begin slamming on his keyboard. He'd certainly get his paperwork done before his appointment.


	11. 33 Percent

Author's Note: What the hell sort of prompt was thiiiiisssss! DX It's okay. I did an awesome job with this freakin' prompt. **:3**

* * *

><p><span>33 Percent<span>

"Thirty-_three_ percent, Joseph."

Joey flinched. He _hated_ when people called him Joseph. It was what his mother called him. Funny, this lady evoked the same feelings of anger-rage-distrust in him as his mother did.

She pursed her lips, painted a gaudy shade of plum-purple that were only accented by the indigo eye shadow she wore all the way up to her eyebrows. "I'm _afraid_ that if you get two _more_ failing grades in this _class,_ Joseph, that you'll _have_ to retake it."

Her snide tone made it clear that she wasn't informing him for his welfare, but because she did not want him in her class again, and Joey was reminded of why he never actually paid attention to her in class. Her voice was annoying, putting emphasis where it didn't need to be and making her voice so sweet that the sugariness only turned to poison. She was one of the tackiest women he'd ever seen—he'd heard _hookers _laugh about her make-up and fashion sense.

"I'm _assigning_ you a tutor. He's quite _popular_ with the other students he's _tutored,_ so I'm _sure_ he'll be able to knock _some_ sense into you." Her lips curved up into a smile that exposed badly-bleached, yellow teeth. "Maybe you'll _learn_ something from _him._"

Joey managed a somewhat-decent smile. "Maybe I will. Who is it?"

Turning toward the door, the woman cooed, "Oh, Mr. _Kaiba_, you may come _in_ now."

Joey shuddered and only barely managed to hold back a gag. If that was her trying to be seductive, it was gross. And terrible.

A brunet appeared from behind the door, imposingly tall and ice-chip blue eyes flashing with power as he approached them.

Joey suddenly understood why his teacher was trying to sound seductive. He almost wanted to say 'take me, I'm yours' and drop his pants.

The brunet eyed both he and the woman with obvious distaste. "Is this the moron that doesn't even know how magic is expelled from the body?"

That 'drop trou and fuck' feeling was gone.

"_Well,_ I wouldn't say he's a _moron,_" she began, pursing her lips in what she probably thought was a pretty pout. "He's just… a little _challenged._"

Joey rolled his eyes in frustration and sighed, then scowled. "Look, I'm still here. Listen, if it's a choice between you for another year or studyin' with this prick, I'll just drop out," he spat, glaring at each of them. "Ya either don't want me here or don't think I'm worth your time—probably both, for all I know—and I don't know much about learnin', I'll admit I don't do it a lot, but I'm pretty sure that if I think the people teachin' me are stupid or assholes, I'm not gonna retain much of what they say because I'll be too busy thinkin' about how stupid they are or how I'm gonna murder them for thinkin' I'm not as good as them."

His teacher gasped in affront, cheeks blotching red as she sputtered angrily.

Joey glared at her again. "Don't worry, I've already planned how I'd kill ya seventeen different ways. Not that anybody would miss ya," he added, then turned and stormed out of the room.

He knew it was dangerous, dropping out of school before he knew how to completely control his magic. However, if it was a choice between being treated like he was stupid or accidentally hurting himself, he'd choose the latter. At least then he wouldn't feel like scum of the earth.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto examined the test he'd been given and frowned a little as he looked over the blond's chicken-scratch. "Damn."

It wasn't that the answers were wrong. Some were incomplete, yes, and could probably be explained better, but they were mostly correct. They were just… difficult to read, which was probably why the witch of a teacher had marked them completely wrong. Some of the words were badly misspelled and some of the letters were written backward. He glanced over at the file he'd gotten from the office (he didn't enjoy flirting with people, but the secretary hadn't really needed much flirtation) that detailed how Joey had dropped out of whatever schooling he'd been getting in favor of working whatever job he could get, including a short stint as a prostitute.

He hadn't had time learn how to read and write properly, which was probably why he spent so much longer doing homework and why Yugi or Tristan could be seen with two totally different assignments. Joey probably dictated his answers, Yugi or Tristan wrote them down, and then Joey copied them as best he could. It explained why the small group could often be found in the library, Téa reading all of the passages for class aloud and Joey scribbling frantically to take notes in his own confusing shorthand.

…He'd done fairly well on the practical exams. His control over his power was nearly perfect; wielding it against other people, however, was what brought his scores down. When he was baited into attacking, the only thing that had saved his abusers had been the teachers, and when he wasn't baited, his attacks were meek, as if afraid to hurt his opponents.

It wasn't that Joey was necessarily a bad student. He just couldn't do very well on tests in the time allotted with his meager reading skills.

Seto crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat, brows furrowing together in agitation. He thought very little of people who didn't try hard enough in their studies, but he thought even less of teachers that did nothing to help obviously struggling students, instead foisting them off on other students and hoping they could be tutored to mediocre enough to pass and get them out of their hair.

He had even more reason to dislike the purple-loving woman that looked more like a peacock than a human being.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Whatta ya want?" Joey asked, obviously disgruntled as the brunet in front of him kept him from moving back toward his anvil. "I got orders to fulfill, asshole."

Seto ducked the blunted, red-hot sword as it was swung over his head and turned instead to watch the blond place it on the anvil and grab a large hammer. "I could teach you."

Joey barked with laughter, but it was muffled by the sound of the hammer clanging against the sword. "'course ya could. Just like all my teachers, just like my friends all try—"

"I don't mean control over magic, or all of the bookwork required." Seto took a step back; the sparks flying from the hot piece of metal were uncomfortably close to his face. Joey didn't seem to mind. "You're a fire elemental."

"Doooiiii," the blond drawled, testing the edge of the still-hot sword with his thumb. "Listen, just keep your electric hands to yourself and lemme do my job. Ya don't need any special degree sayin' you've graduated from some fancy school t' beat out a sword."

Seto just barely kept from saying he wouldn't mind beating out Joey's sword. He figured that would only end badly, even if he did find the blond incredibly attractive. "And here I thought you'd—"

Joey turned and sliced the sword just inches from his face, scowling. "That was your first mistake. _Thinkin'._"

The brunet scowled, but then he remembered that the blond had only been able to come to the school with a partial scholarship, and the rest of the town he lived in had pitched in to cover the other half. Through all of his jobs, he'd come to know almost everyone in the town personally, and they'd all come to care about him. They'd wanted him to be able to control his magic safely, and he'd been promised a job at the blacksmith's—or anywhere, really, because the town had been so proud of him.

It had taken him two days to this town. On horseback. …Seto had found he didn't like riding horseback.

Seto sighed quietly. "I know we got off on the wrong foot last week—" He flinched when the blond turned an acidic glare on him. "…More than the wrong foot. I'm sorry for that. I got copies of your tests and looked through them. They're correct, for the most part—the questions you answered, anyway—"

"I know," Joey cut in, scowling. "I _know_ the questions I answered are right. It's the other questions I didn't fuckin' get to and the fact that even chickens can't read my chicken scratch that fuck up more scores. …You… Ya read my answers?" He turned to look at the brunet in surprise and confusion. "…That musta taken ya forever."

"It took me a few days to get through all of them, yes," the older boy replied, deciding not to tell him that halfway through his tests he'd gotten so frustrated that he'd thrown them across the room. "I got them from your other teachers, too."

"…Ya read all of 'em?" the blond asked hopefully, and the other boy suddenly realized that all the fire-elemental wanted was to have his hard work recognized.

"…I'm not offering to teach you magic," Seto explained. "I'm offering to teach you how to read by yourself. –And, after that, how to make your writing better."

Joey stared at him for a few moments, looking confused and anxious, before his face relaxed into a hesitant smile. "You'd teach me how t' read?"

That expression was so cute that Seto almost lost control, grabbed the blond, and molested him.

Almost.

"It… would require you coming back to school," he replied as casually as he could, and mentally patted himself on the back when he realized that it had seemed quite natural.

Joey bit his bottom lip (Seto almost lost his battle for control again), then hesitantly nodded his head. "Yeah, okay." He scratched the back of his head. "Um, I hafta sharpen this sword before I leave, and then I hafta tell the blacksmith, but I should be able t' leave tomorrow."

Seto's happy feeling immediately faded. "On horseback, right?"

The blond stared at him a minute before his eyes brightened with laughter that he thankfully kept to himself. "They make an ointment for that."

"Where would I get some?" Seto asked quickly. He didn't think his ass could take another day on a horse.

Joey couldn't hold back his giggle. "I'll get some from the Doc after I talk t' the blacksmith, okay? You can stay the night with me."

Seto squeaked. Somehow, he didn't think that would help.


	12. Dead Wrong

Dead Wrong

"I don't understand how you can find werewolves attractive," Joey sighed, leaning back in his chair. "No offense, Yami."

"…None taken?" The werewolf tilted his head, baffled. "How is that not supposed to be offensive to me?"

Yugi laughed awkwardly and patted his hand. "Just ignore him, Yami. Listen, Joey, whatever you've heard about how werewolves kiss is _dead wrong._ I've kissed tons of people and Yami's the best at kissing back!"

Yami frowned and looked down at his mate. "Tons of people?"

"Okay, maybe a handful," Yugi amended quickly, then rolled his eyes.

Joey chuckled. He knew 'tons' was not just a handful. Yugi was a polite lover—didn't kiss and tell—but he was _certainly_ not a prude. Besides, Téa said he was an _excellent_ kisser, and she wouldn't lie about that.

"Why don't you set Joey up with someone?" the smaller human asked suddenly, looking up at his lookalike.

Yami frowned again. "Yugi, I'm afraid that arranged matings have been unpopular for the past three hundred years—"

Joey and Yugi promptly yelped and lunged backward—away from him. As Joey cursed and stood, propping his chair up again, Yugi stood and glared at him. "I don't want you to find him someone to mate with! I want you to find someone to go on a date with him!"

"…Joey appears perfectly capable of getting his own date…"

"You are hopeless." Yugi glared at him in a way that clearly said 'I've got a lot of work to do on you, buddy' before turning toward his friend with an awkward smile. "I'll find someone who wouldn't mind going on a date with you. I'll call you, okay?"

"If all werewolves are as backward as he is, I don't _care _how good a kisser they are!" the blond exclaimed in disbelief.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto and Joey examined each other skeptically before the brunet turned to his cousin and promptly stated, "I don't see how this was worth my time at all. He's scrawny, he looks like a ruffian, and he's probably not even a good fuck."

Yami smiled brightly. "I was just told to find a good kisser." He paused, then stated, "You're about to get punched in the kisser, anyway."

The brunet turned in surprise just in time to get punched in the mouth so hard he was knocked off his feet. "GAH!"

"Werewolves are _all_ the _same,_" Joey seethed, shaking with rage even as tears flooded his eyes. "You guys are the absolute worst!"

Yugi mouthed wordlessly as he watched his friend storm out of the shop, then spun toward the two werewolves angrily—one still grinning wildly in amusement while the other stood and grumbled to himself, rubbing his jaw. "I thought werewolves were supposed to be _polite!_"

"You didn't ask for polite." Yami blinked. "You just wanted a good kisser. If you'd wanted someone polite, I'd—"

"No wonder Joey doesn't like werewolves! You're all a bunch of jerks!" the human roared angrily.

Despite being dominant werewolves and feeling like they did nothing wrong, the two werewolves suddenly felt guilt eating up their insides, tails tucking up between their legs like scolded pups.

"You guys are the worst! Now Joey's _never_ going to date a werewolf and he's going to continue dating all of these human creeps that don't have any intention of dating longer than a fuck!" Yugi grabbed his hair in frustration and yanked. "Ooooh! This is just what I needed! Now I have to convince him that he's _not _scrawny and he doesn't look _that _much like a ruffian and—THANKS. A LOT," he growled, glaring at the two werewolves, before stomping out of the shop after him.

Sensing that his mate was angry with him and that he'd probably done the wrong thing by just picking the first good kisser that was a werewolf that came to mind, Yami promptly turned his head to glare at his cousin.

The brunet tried to ignore the look he was being given, but eventually, he sighed and rolled his eyes. "Alright, alright, I'm going."

"You really should work on how much of an asshole you are to new people."

"Oh, shut _up_!"

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey looked up as someone slid into the seat on the other side of his table, then scowled, turning his attention back to his burger. "Sorry, scrawny ruffians don't like bein' seen with assholes."

Seto frowned as he smelled hurt-sadness-embarrassment. He'd never meant to actual _hurt_ the human, especially since he didn't know anything about him… He must have really struck a nerve when he'd said those things.

Seeing the brunet didn't intend on leaving, Joey huffed and began putting his things back on his tray and went to stand. "Fine. If ya really want this table then—"

The werewolf grabbed his wrist before he could go. "Wait. I… I'm sorry I said those things."

Joey turned to glare at him. "No you're not, otherwise ya wouldn't 've said 'em. Ya think I'm a scrawny little—Well, I don't know _exactly_ what ya think I am, but ya called me a ruffian and ya think I'm scrawny, and ya said—ya said—You don't even know me and ya said those things-!"

Heartbreak-humiliation-loneliness-agony permeated the air. Seto whined in the back of his throat. He didn't know Joey, but he had _never_ wanted to make him feel that way. He just didn't know how to fix it.

Joey scowled at him when he got no response and, considering it as proof of being unremorseful, turned to leave again. "Asshole."

He hadn't wanted to hurt him, but even Seto had to admit that he was a moron when it came to social norms, so he did the only thing he could think of. Grabbing the human by the shoulders, he tugged him toward him and, knocking his food to the ground, pulled him into a tight embrace and smashed their lips together.

Joey squirmed, confused and terrified. "Mm-!" He hit the brunet's shoulders a few times before his brain managed to catch up with his lips, and his brain decided that it quite liked what it was experiencing. He gasped and groaned as the werewolf immediately took it as an invitation, tongue darting into his open mouth swiftly and making short work of what little defenses he may have had left. "Mmn…!"

He shuddered and melted as the brunet lapped gently at his tongue, whimpering quietly as sharp claws danced over his skin. He had no idea that that whimper would only drive the werewolf's instincts into overdrive, telling him to dominate and claim and—if possible—mate. He reeled in that instinct just enough to keep from mating in the middle of the restaurant, but not enough that he didn't maul him.

At least until a pitcher of water was poured over their heads and the manager banned them from the restaurant because it was a family business.

Seto had gotten a whiff of embarrassment-anxiety before he'd heard sneakered feet scampering away and had turned only to find the blond hurriedly vacating the premises. He got the feeling a kiss would not be enough to convey his remorse, especially when he saw the uneaten food on the floor that he'd all but forced him to drop.

Damn.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Yugi looked up as he heard the bell jingle and smiled when he found his friend stepping inside. "Hi, Joey. Hey, you look like you've—What's wrong?"

Joey blushed brightly and bit his bottom lip. "Ya know how ya said werewolves are good kissers, and I disagreed?"

He nodded, baffled. "Yeah, why?"

"…I was _dead _wrong," the blond whispered, then blushed and covered his face. "_So_ dead wrong."

Yugi blinked, but seeing that his friend was embarrassed, he just shrugged. "You want to see Yami suffer for a while? I have him scrubbing the floor by hand for choosing the biggest dick to be your first werewolf experience."

Joey blushed darker and squeaked, only picking up on 'biggest dick' and 'werewolf' and 'experience' in the _completely _wrong context. Instead, of dwelling on it, he just nodded.

Maybe that would take his mind off of the kiss that he'd been so dead wrong about.


	13. Running Away

Running Away

"—Yugi's going to go into archeology, like his grandpa, and Téa got a partial scholarship to the dancing school she wants to go to, and Tristan's going to the police academy, and Ryou's going back to England to study literature!"

Seto leaned back in his chair and hummed. "I think you missed one."

Mokuba frowned tilted his head, recounting each friend on his fingers. "Yugi, Téa, Tristan, Ryou… I don't know what you're—"

"The mutt, Mokuba. You've forgotten the mutt." Seto reached out to grab his coffee cup.

"Oh." The younger boy scratched the back of his head and tried to remember where Joey said he was going. "…I think he's going to America."

Seto immediately spewed his coffee.

The younger boy continued. "He has an aunt or cousin or something willing to give him a job. He said he'd do some online courses or go to community college while he's there."

Seto stood, slamming his hands on the desk. "And when is he leaving?"

Mokuba blinked up at him in surprise. "Um, he's packing to leave tomorrow."

"No, he's not," the brunet growled, stalking around his desk and storming toward the door.

The younger boy smiled awkwardly. "You might want to change your shirt." When his brother turned toward him, obviously disgruntled, he explained, "You have coffee all over it."

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey turned his head as he heard his door open, but he assumed it was one of his friends, so he didn't worry about it. "I'm in the kitchen!" Listening to the footsteps coming closer, he finished taping up the box he'd been filling. "Help yourself t' a soda. Actually, help yourself t' anything in the fridge. I need t' get it empty. Just don't hang in the door, 'cause the power's already been turned off and it's just keepin' the cool in from earlier."

A pair of hands grabbed his shoulders and yanked him around quickly. He blinked as he found himself staring into sharp blue eyes. "…You're not Yugi."

"You were just going to leave without saying a word to me?" Seto hissed, glaring at him.

Joey blinked again. "I didn't know I needed t' say a word t' ya. Ya don't even like me."

The brunet scowled. "You're just tucking your tail between your legs and running away from me, aren't you?"

"…Uh. Huh?" Joey tilted his head and frowned in confusion. "I'm not runnin' away from ya."

Seto growled in annoyance and let go of his shoulders, taking a step back from him. "Then why are you leaving?"

The blond tilted his head, brows furrowing together. "My cousin offered me a job at her farm until she sells it. She says it might be a few years, but I can earn a degree in somethin' by then, maybe in mechanics or shop or somethin' that doesn't need a lot of smarts. I can't make a living off playin' Duel Monsters, at least not if you and Yugi are playin' in the same tournament." He smiled awkwardly. "I'm gonna go earn some money in America. I'll be able to visit my sister more often and I can save on rent 'cause my cousin won't charge me. I'm not runnin' away—especially not from _you._"

Seto had to admit that that sounded like a very good plan. "But you're coming back to Japan once you've earned a degree and your cousin's sold her farm, right?"

Joey's smile faded. "Urm. Well, I hadn't really thought about it. Téa's gonna be in New York, and Yugi's gonna be goin' on digs and stuff, so they won't be in Japan, and Ryou will probably stay in England. Tristan would be too busy t' hang out, and let's face it, even if I go away and come back, lots of cops are still gonna recognize me and wonder why one of their own is hangin' out with someone so delinquent. There's really no reason t' come back—"

"But what about me!" the brunet exclaimed, before he could stop himself.

Joey heard more in those four words than he had ever heard the brunet say before.

'_All of the people that are anything like friends to me are leaving and I can't ask them to stay because then they'll know I care and I can't let them know that they can hurt me. All I can do is rile you up and hope you'll be too angry with me to leave like this. Please don't leave me alone. Why is everyone leaving me again?'_

"…Not that I care, or anything," Seto spat, crossing his arms.

Joey bit his bottom lip. He hadn't realized that Seto would miss any of them. And now all of them were leaving. He wouldn't have anyone to rely on but Mokuba. …But Joey deserved a chance to get out of there, to make something of himself, to just… get away…

Seto would have Mokuba for a few more years. That was enough time for both of them to grow and mature a little, to calm down so they weren't always at each others' throats. Seto could wait that long. He was a patient man.

Smoothing down the front of the brunet's shirt, Joey smiled a little and sighed. "Kaiba, I promised my cousin I'd help her until she got her shit together and could sell the farm. It'll only be a few years."

Seto bristled but couldn't fault him on wanting to get out of this shit hole. Joey had always been poor and this was a chance for him to get away, get money, learn skills to help him through life. He had no right to take that from him.

"…I'll come back," Joey promised, reaching down to grasp his hands lightly, brushing his thumbs lightly over the brunet's knuckles. "I'll come back before Mokuba graduates, okay?"

The older boy frowned. "He's going to be at a four-year college. That's quite a long time to help someone who's planning on selling their farm—"

"Before he graduates from _high school,_" the blond sighed, rolling his eyes. "I didn't even know he was goin' t' college. I just assumed he'd go straight t' workin' with you."

"That's what everyone assumes, but I'm sending him to college. I want him to find out what he likes to do. I don't care if he works at the company as long as he enjoys it and has the chance to make friends like a normal kid." Seto hesitated before quietly adding, "Like I didn't get to do."

Joey blushed a little, surprised at the small piece of personal information he'd been given, then smiled again. "Okay. Well, I still plan on bein' back before he graduates high school. I promise. Okay?"

Seto frowned. "How do I know you'll keep your promise?"

He knew Seto had been hurt before, so he kept himself from getting angry about his word being questioned. "Because when I get back, I'm gonna move _this—_" He pressed a kiss to the brunet's cheek. "—T' your lips."

Seto leaned his head on the younger boy's shoulder, brows furrowing together in frustration as he hugged the blond tightly. "If you don't keep your word, I'm going to come find you and throw you off of a bridge."

Joey realized he was serious, but he couldn't help a chuckle. "Of course, Kaiba."


	14. Judgment

Author's Note: Why are my stories so fucking sappy and sad? Is it because of periods? Hate you, period. HATE YOU.

* * *

><p><span>Judgment<span>

Seto snarled as he was shoved down onto his knees in front of the large golden throne, tail lashing out and smacking the nearest guard. He smirked as he heard a yowl of pain, but the smirk was wiped off his face when one of the other guards punched him in the back of the head.

"We found him stealing food from the storehouses," one of the guards spat.

"Is that so…?"

Seto blinked in surprise and lifted his head to look up at the man on the throne. When he saw the blond sitting in it, he snarled again. "_YOU!_"

Joey grinned a grin that showed off all of his teeth. "Me!"

"You _bastard,_ you selfish little—_NNGAH!_" The brunet yelped as one of the guards hit him again.

Joey frowned, then schooled his face into a neutral expression. "Leave us."

The guards frowned, obviously hesitant to follow orders. "But sir…"

"He's already proven to be quite dangerous-!"

"We shouldn't be—"

The blond closed his eyes and sighed in irritation, eyebrow twitching slightly as he gripped his hands into fists. "I protected myself very well before I ascended to the throne. I don't need a bunch of self-important guards hanging around when they're piss-poor at fighting and have already been injured by _one_ measly prisoner. Get the fuck out of my sight. I'll speak with you later about how you've been abusing the prisoners." His eyes hardened. "Especially certain _female_ prisoners."

Each guard paled and scattered. The door to the throne room slammed shut quite loudly.

Joey pursed his lips and sighed, then rolled his eyes as he stood. "They're startin' t' get outta hand." When the brunet didn't reply, instead setting his jaw stubbornly, he sighed again. "So now I hafta pass judgment on ya. Why ya gotta put me through this shit?"

Seto lashed his tail around the blond's waist and jerked him closer, unable to help a smirk when the black-scaled dragon yelped. Nuzzling into the younger boy's hip, he growled before twisting his tail around to force his knees to buckle.

"Ow-!" Joey squeaked nervously as the brunet crawled on top of him and flinched a little when the older dragon bared his teeth angrily. "Set-!"

"You're lucky my hands are tied behind my back, otherwise I would have torn your clothes off and claimed you like I should have claimed you years ago," he growled. "Pass judgment on me? Why don't you pass judgment on yourself, you fickle little hussy!"

Joey scowled and jerked his head away. "I haven't slept with anyone else, asshole."

"Is that because you haven't wanted to or because you're just too damn busy to stop your work long enough to get a good fuck?" Seto bristled a little when the blond flinched and stood, twisting the end of his tail through his shackles and then straightening it abruptly. He'd have some dark bruises on his wrists for a few weeks, but as the smaller dragon flinched and stared at the broken links of chain, he couldn't help the satisfaction he felt. "I was putting some food _in_ the storehouse, not stealing it, and if this is how I'm going to be treated for bringing extra food for the less fortunate, they can _starve._"

"I-!" Joey flinched as the brunet immediately launched himself at one of the higher windows and flew through it, shattering the glass. "…Seto…" He bit his bottom lip, then ducked his head in shame. He'd made a decision between his lover and his job, and it appeared as if he'd made the wrong one.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Seto, someone's at the door," Mokuba informed him, poking his head into the brunet's study. "Something about restitution."

Seto immediately bristled. _'I pissed him off so he's ordering me to pay restitution? __**I will murder this moron if it's the last thing I do.**__'_

He stormed to the door, ready to rip off the head of whatever lackey dared to even think of ordering him to pay restitution. Opening the door swiftly, he snarled, lifting his hand to jam his claws into the interloper's throat, but paused when the blond flinched backward, clutching the small reed basket to his chest in terror. "…You."

Joey nodded slightly. "M-me. Um… Here's the restitution for your unlawful detainment," he whispered, holding out the basket to him nervously. "I had the storehouses inventoried and it was proved that you were bringin' more food, not stealin' it, so… The guards that arrested ya have been fired and replaced, and I've left someone else in charge of that stuff so it won't happen again. …I… I'd really like it if ya didn't let the poor starve." When the brunet didn't take the basket, he hesitantly set it at his feet and took a few steps backward. "If… if ya don't think that's enough, I… you'll hafta talk t' the new magistrate. We thought it would be enough, but the guards_ had_ been unnecessarily rough with ya, and—"

"New magistrate?" Seto tilted his head, unable to help the frown of confusion forming on his face. "You stepped down?"

"Yeah. I didn't like that job anyway," Joey mumbled, turning his gaze on his feet. He crossed his arms for a minute, then shrugged, instead clasping his hands in front of him and wringing them nervously. "I thought about what ya said, about passin' judgment on myself. …I… I didn't like what I found. So I thought I'd… I'd go away. See if I could make myself better somehow. Become the kind of dragon someone might like to mate with." He flinched as he heard the brunet take a sharp intake of breath and bit his bottom lip. "I know I'm not worth much right now, but I could earn some money while I'm away."

Seto scowled and walked down the steps to grab the blond's arms, ignoring the way he flinched and drawing the smaller dragon toward him. "You're not going _anywhere._"

"Ouch-!" Joey squirmed and tried to pull away. "Please let me go! I'm not trespassin' I was just deliverin' somethin' ya have no right t' hurt me for doin' that!"

The brunet rumbled quietly and released him in favor of sliding his arms around his waist. "I'm keeping you here so I can claim you, not so I can hurt you."

"Huh-?" The blond looked up at him in surprise, brows furrowing together in confusion. "You… Ya still want me?"

"I've _always_ wanted you," Seto spat, scowling. "_You're_ the one that left. What, was the sex not good enough for you? Were you hoping to find a richer man to mate with?"

"…Everyone said I was just a replacement, since your last mate died." Joey turned his gaze away, frowning. "I didn't wanna be a replacement. I thought, if I left, maybe we could both find someone different, someone that could fit our own needs. But I guess that didn't work, huh?"

Seto felt his ire begin to fade as he frowned. Mokuba had told him about the rumors of Joey just being his replacement, but he'd known it wasn't true, so he hadn't paid any attention to them. Apparently, the same couldn't be said for Joey, who was unused to being the topic of discussion.

"…You are not a replacement," Seto stated quietly, sliding his hands up to cup the blond's cheeks and force him to meet his eyes. "If I wanted a replacement, I would have chosen someone at least a little like her. You are _nothing_ like her. …But you still draw out feelings in me that I thought only she could." He leaned in to kiss him lightly. "If I'd known you'd felt that way, I would have put you at ease. I'm sorry that I didn't reassure you then. I should have seen how uncomfortable you were getting."

He whined quietly as the tears forming in the blond's eyes rolled down his cheeks. "I should have seen how antsy you were getting, should have seen how distant you were becoming. I should have stopped you when you said you were leaving to be the magistrate. …I should have claimed you as my mate," he whispered. "I don't even remember why I hadn't claimed you before. Some stupid reason, I'm sure. I've never felt worse about anything in my life. You deserved a mate, not a sex-partner."

Joey sniffled awkwardly even as more tears coursed down his cheeks. "You have no idea how long I've waited t' hear that. I just didn't wanna get my hopes up."

Seto leaned down to kiss him gently. "I'm sorry."


	15. Seeking Solace

Seeking Solace

"Seto! Seto, turn on your TV!" Mokuba gasped, running into his brother's bedroom.

Seto blinked, tissue still covering most of his face as he took in his brother's disheveled appearance. "…Did you run all the way from soccer practice?"

The younger boy rushed over to grab the remote on his bedside table. "Of course I did! I could see the smoke and flames from the park!"

"Smoke and flames…?" Seto finished blowing his nose as the TV screen came to life and turned to throw it into the trash. "What, did the Turtle Game shop catch on fi—" he began to joke, before his eyes locked on the screen.

He thought it was a replay of what had happened in America, when the Twin Towers had fallen because of a terrorist attack. He was confused as to why his brother would show him this, but then he noticed the two initials on top of the building.

He threw his blankets off and stood, world tilting a little when he realized that it was _his_ building on fire—or perhaps that was just the last traces of fever that had kept him held up in bed. "Mokuba-!"

"I know! This is terrible!" the younger boy exclaimed, grabbing his hair.

"Mokuba, I'm going down—please catch me—_OW._"

Mokuba turned in surprise, then flinched when he saw his brother crumpled on the floor, looking dazed and angry and confused all at once. "Seto! Why'd you get out of bed!"

"Call the company—"

"The company's being evacuated."

"—See who was still inside—"

"It's pandemonium."

"—And see how the fire originated."

"They won't be able to tell until the fire's gone out and they can investigate," Mokuba began, sighing, only to freeze as he watched the top part of the building collapse.

Seto let out a bellow like a wounded dragon as he watched the top seventeen stories of the building he'd worked so hard to claim as his own crumpled in a heap, feeling as if his heart was being torn out of his chest. "Why is this happening?"

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey squeaked and reached out to grab his friend's hand as he watched the top stories of Kaiba Corporation collapse. "Oh God. Kaiba-!"

They'd been playing the horrid scene over and over again for the past few days. They'd gotten no answer when they'd phoned Mokuba and when they'd called the estate, they'd been informed that no calls were being taken and to please wait for someone to contact them instead.

There hadn't been word in the papers from either of the Kaibas, no statements or comments made. The small group that called the Kaiba brothers their friends had been sick with worry but had had nothing to reassure them. It almost seemed as if… as if they were…

The door to the living room creaked open slowly. Figuring it was Yugi's grandfather, the two teens continued to watch the news reports, growing even more distressed with each clip. They just kept playing it over—

And over—

And over—

And over—

"Horrifying, isn't it?"

Yugi and Joey jumped and turned sharply, both surprised and terrified. "Wha-!"

Seto offered them an awkward sort of smile and stuck a hand in one of the pockets of his surprisingly ratty jeans. "We would have called, but Roland decided that whoever took out my office was after us. We were on the run until the perpetrators were caught."

Mokuba leapt over the back of the couch and into Yugi's arms with a sob. "Roland told us about all of the calls you guys made to the mansion and to my cell phone! I wish we could have said something!"

Yugi hugged him back and shrugged slightly. "It's okay. You're safe now. That's all that matters." He looked up at the brunet and returned the awkward smile. "That's why you guys are here, right?"

"They'll be talking about the arrest later," Seto replied, walking around the couch to sit down next to the blond that had yet to speak. He turned his gaze on the TV, where the replay of the fire was being shown again. "The police are interrogating him right now."

Joey tilted his head as he watched the brunet's eyes glaze over, looking sad and angry and helpless all at once. "…You okay, Kaiba?"

"…Two of my three secretaries were killed in the explosion." Seto sighed and leaned his head on his fist. "They sent an even larger bomb to one of the secretaries a few floors below. The explosion and the fire caused the support beams to collapse. …I was supposed to be there that day." He cleared his throat after his voice cracked and closed his eyes tightly. "…I _would _have been there. But Mokuba made me stay home that one last day." He paused, swallowing thickly, before he continued with a tight throat, "Everyone from that floor and up died except for the people gone on lunch. Mostly secretaries or support staff." He swallowed again. "I've always liked secretaries."

Joey frowned, taking in the brunet's pale complexion and strained, tired expression, then carefully laid his head on the older boy's shoulder. When he turned his head to look down at him in surprise, he carefully slid his arms around the brunet's chest and held him tightly. "I'm glad you're okay, Kaiba."

The brunet swallowed thickly, then slid his arm around the younger boy's back and gave him a little squeeze. Rather than saying he appreciated it—that he was glad that the blond had worried about him—he merely picked up the remote control and changed the channel. "You two watch very depressing things."

The movie they watched was corny and cliché, but everyone decided that they had never watched a better movie.


	16. Excuses

Author's Note: I always make Seto the horn-dog and Joey the somewhat-unwilling-until-he-gets-into-it victim. I thought it would be fun to switch it up and explore it! **:**3

Also, stop telling me that these could use sequels. Please, please, please stop.

* * *

><p><span>Excuses<span>

"Seto, why do ya keep makin' excuses? Don't ya… _wanna_ fuck me?" Joey asked, frowning.

Seto shrugged. "Not really. I'm comfortable just kissing and hugging you every once in a while."

"…Oh."

"Besides, I don't see why you're always so horny. Can't you just tone it down a little?" Seto turned the page of the book he was reading. "Or take a cold shower or something?"

Any hope that Joey had had immediately faded. Frowning again, he looked down at his feet. "…I suppose I could…"

"You can always kick me out of the bathroom to use it if you need to, also," the brunet added helpfully.

The younger boy's shoulders hunched in defeat. "…Okay…" He hesitated for a moment before getting to his feet and wandering out of the room.

He'd thought that perhaps talking might get the brunet to open up a little, so he could understand why the older boy didn't want to have sex with him. All he'd learned was that Seto wasn't interested in having sex with him. At all.

'_Maybe I'm not attractive to him physically.'_ Joey's breath hitched at the thought, but he stubbornly ignored any tears that may have formed because of it. _'If he's not attracted to me, then why even bother? Am I just nice to talk to until he finds the person he __**does**__ want to do those things with?'_

_That_ hurt. Joey grabbed his chest and whimpered, wondering if Seto was leading him on and if so, why. He had nothing to gain from it. There were people much more interesting that he could spend time with. So why waste it with him when he wasn't even attracted to him?

Joey kicked the carpet in frustration before he continued out of the mansion.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto blinked as he found a package on his porch, wondering how it had gotten there and if he should call someone for a possible bomb threat. A moment later, he remembered Joey mentioning that he'd ordered something and had sent it to the mansion for fear that his father would get a hold of it and would punish him for buying it. Shrugging, he checked the address (it did have Joey's name on it), then carried it inside, idly wondering what Joey had bought that he was afraid of his father seeing. An action figure, perhaps? A toy? Or maybe even some new cards?

Hmm, new cards. He wouldn't put it past the blond.

Now curious about which cards the blond may have gotten, Seto placed his briefcase next to the coat rack and carried the box into the living room. "What have you bought, little puppy?" He scooped up a letter opener and carefully slid the sharp edge through the packing tape, setting the box down on the coffee table.

Opening the box, he blinked as he was faced with a clearly phallic-shaped object. After a few more moments, he realized it was a vibrator.

'_Well, I see why Joey wouldn't want to send this to his house.'_

Seto stared at the vibrator a few more minutes before the fact that Joey had sent a vibrator to his house finally sank in. "GAH!"

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Seto? Ya said my package came-?" Joey asked, poking his head into the brunet's study.

He immediately stilled when the brunet turned his icy eyes on him, body frozen under the sharp gaze. He swallowed thickly as he took in the older boy's appearance, blushing brightly as he admired the expanse of the brunet's chest exposed by his unbuttoned shirt. He whimpered as the brunet smirked at him and flinched his legs together. "Um. I gotta… I just got off work, so maybe I could—take a shower—" He squeaked as the brunet's smirk twisted into something almost malicious. "…S-Seto?"

"I thought maybe it was a game or some new cards and was curious." Seto licked his lips and couldn't help the feeling of satisfaction he got when the blond shivered. He held up the vibrator and hummed as he watched the younger boy's cheeks flush darker. "Imagine my surprise when I found _this_ instead."

"I-!" Joey felt his face might catch fire, it was so hot. "Oh, um, that musta been a mistake by the company or somethin'—"

"I already checked with the company. They assured me that you'd specifically ordered this one."

"…Oh." Joey looked down at his feet and bit his bottom lip, then turned his back to him quickly. "Well, I… I'm sort of busy right now, so would it be okay to come pick it up later or somethin'?" He gasped and stiffened as he felt the brunet's hands grasp his hips, then squeezed his eyes shut in embarrassment. "What are ya doin', Kaiba?"

"I hadn't realized you were so desperate, puppy." The warm breath felt really nice against his neck. "Why don't you let me help you with that?"

Joey felt as if he'd just been slapped. After what Seto had said to him yesterday, he had the _gall_ to come onto him? "Because there's a cold shower with my name on it just down the hall."

Seto frowned. "What? But I thought…"

"You already made it clear that I'm not attractive t' ya, Seto," the blond started shortly. "Ya like kissin' me and huggin' me once in a while, but ya don't wanna have sex with me. Don't force yourself. It's kind of a turn off."

The older boy scowled. "And just what makes you think that I'm forcing myself to do this?"

Joey turned toward him and scowled. "Ya told me t' tone it down or take a cold shower. You clearly weren't interested, even when we were cuddlin' at night and I tried t' get ya in the mood. Ya didn't even get hard!"

He flinched a little at the memory. The first time, Seto had shoved him off, saying he was trying to sleep and that he didn't want slobber all over him, plus it was too late anyway. Any night after that were just variations of the same thing.

"…Ya didn't even let me cuddle up t' ya afterward. Why do ya keep me around if ya aren't attracted t' me, Kaiba?"

Seto felt like he'd been punched in the gut. Joey hadn't called him 'Kaiba' for months. "I… I didn't… Joey, I…"

"Listen, this just… I better go take a cold shower before I get too horny. I know ya don't like that," Joey muttered, pulling away from him roughly. "…Better think up a new excuse, Kaiba. Make it somethin' good, too, because what you just pulled—forcin' yourself to do this—it's pretty bad."

Seto frowned and watched the younger boy walk down the hall. It wasn't that he thought Joey wasn't attractive. He was just so turned off by all of the people that had come onto him in the past that he didn't really think much about sex, and he didn't really appreciate it when people tried to 'get him in the mood' because it was usually against his will and _also _when he was quite busy.

'_Oh God. Like Joey tried to get me in the mood. Oh. Damn. __**Damn!**__' _ He slapped his hand over his face. _'Shit. I made him think—__**Damn!**__'_

He had quite a lot of explaining to do. And, now that he thought about it, quite a lot of groveling, too.


	17. Vengeance

Author's Note: It's always been in my mind that in a hierarchy, phoenixes are just higher than peacocks. …Where do these ideas even come from? -_-

* * *

><p><span>Vengeance<span>

"Tell me why you're here."

"Vengeance."

The blond stared at him for a moment, then giggled and turned to walk away, his golden feathers fluffing in amusement. "Isn't that what everyone's here for?"

Seto stared at the feathers decorating the blond's hair, then let his eyes glide down to the long, thick golden tail of feathers shaped like eyes. He hummed quietly. _'Peacock.'_

Not wanting to miss the opportunity to meet a peacock—they were so rare in this area—Seto walked after him and grabbed his hand. "Oh? What do you want vengeance for?"

The blond turned toward him with an awkward smile. "You don't see many peacocks here, do you? Do you think that's a coincidence?"

"No, I don't." He admired the golden eye shadow around the honey-brown eyes. "It's a shame. You're quite beautiful."

The blond blushed brightly, eyes widening in surprise. "Oh-!"

"Did they do something to your family?" he asked, curious, as the blond seemed to relax at the compliment.

"What family _haven't_ they don't something to?" he retorted, taking a sip of what looked like nectar-wine. "I'm actually here to meet someone called Kaiba."

Seto smiled. "Oh? What for?"

The blond shrugged. "I'm supposed to make sure he isn't poisoned alongside his step-father."

Seto immediately spewed out his own wine.

The peacock grinned. "Don't worry. You don't drink the wine that I had my sister poison. Just your father and the rest of this repulsive family." He leaned closer as another group of people got closer and whispered, "Your friends asked that I rescue you before your step-father before he killed you himself. I thought I'd kill two wolves with one stone and poison him while I poisoned this family for trying to force my sister into mating with one of their children. You know Yami and Yugi? They asked me to come here."

"What—the—fuck-?"

The blond leaned over to kiss his cheek. "Come to the balcony with me and I'll explain."

Seto, at a loss for words, allowed the blond to grasp his hand and lead him out of the ballroom and onto the balcony. "You… Yami sent you?"

"Your cousin worries," the peacock replied, leaning against the railing. He smiled a little. "My name is Joey. I'm a… Well, I guess you could call me an assassin."

"…O…kay. And you've poisoned my step-father and his business partner—the entire Lector family, though?"

Joey's face twisted into a dangerous scowl. "They should _not _have tried t' force my sister into matin'." His face suddenly relaxed into a smile. "I'm s'posed t' get ya out of here so that when they die ya won't be suspect."

Seto scowled. "What about my brother?"

"He's fine," the peacock cooed, smiling. "He's already left t' stay with your cousin. And tomorrow, after suspicion of you is gone, we'll leave for your cousin's home as well."

The brunet couldn't help the curiosity he felt. "And just how did you figure that we could keep suspicion off of me?"

"You're a phoenix, aren't ya?" the blond cooed and pressed up against him. "Phoenixes are quite similar t' peacocks, don't ya think?"

All of his blood started rushing toward his cock. Seto swallowed thickly as his own feathers ruffled at the thought. "Are you suggesting that I take you up to my room?"

"And stay there for the rest of the night," Joey confirmed, smiling. "No one will be able t' suspect ya if you've been… entertainin' someone all night."

Seto licked his lips. "Tell me. Your accent—you didn't have that before."

"Well people would certainly suspect me if I had the accent of a ruffian, wouldn't they? I wouldn't want them to suspect me just because I sound uncouth." Joey began to kiss his neck gently. "Will you trust me?"

"Even if I didn't want to, my cock has already made the decision for me," the brunet ground out. "I just have one request."

Joey leaned back and blinked at him innocently. "Hmm? Whazzat?"

"I want to hear you screaming with that accent."

The blond smiled coyly and purred, "How do ya know I'll be screamin'?" He yelped as the older boy slapped his ass and jerked his hips forward. "Eek!"

"How do you know you _won't_ be?" Seto hissed, then, leaving their glasses on the railing, he grabbed the blond's hand and dragged him back into the ballroom.

As dozens of eyes turned on them at the disturbance, Joey had a moment to roll his eyes before he began acting like the bashful little peacock he was expected to be when in the company of a phoenix, bringing his hand to his chest and giggling nervously. Remembering the brunet's earlier and quite blatant statement of 'you're beautiful,' however, brought the only genuine thing to his act—the blush of pleasure that came from a peacock being recognized by a phoenix as attractive.


	18. Love

Author's Note: What? A different take on a plot I've already used? I have no idea what you're talking about. **:|**

* * *

><p><span>Love<span>

Seto ran his fingers through the blond's hair slowly, still halfway in the afterglow of having his lover ride him to Kingdom come. "Joey?"

The younger boy hummed quietly. "Se'?"

"…Is this what love feels like?"

Joey's eyes fluttered open as he looked up at him, surprised by the sentimental question. "Hmm?"

"I mean… am I _supposed_ to have a buzz in my skull whenever I think about you? Is my chest _supposed_ to get tight whenever I'm around you?" Seto frowned. "I've never felt this way around another person. Is this love, or should I go see a doctor?"

When the blond failed to answer him, he began to get worried. Maybe something was seriously wrong with him. Maybe these symptoms were actually signs of an incurable and fatal disease. What if he _did_ have an incurable disease? What if he was _dying?_ What if he was—

Joey rolled on top of him and smiled sweetly. "Yeah, that's sorta what it's like, but it's different for everyone. Why do ya think I blush so much when I'm around ya? And my heart speeds up, too."

Seto blinked at him slowly, then smiled back and reached up to cup his cheeks. "That's reassuring. Imagine what my doctor would have said if I went to him with those symptoms."

The blond chuckled at the thought. "Yeah, that woulda been pretty weird, even for you."


	19. Tears

Author's Note: INTENSE CHAPTER ALERT.

Mentions of rape, torture, and general disgustingness. **:**C

* * *

><p><span>Tears<span>

Joey struggled against the rope keeping his hands tied behind his back, shoving back against the men's pushing and prodding as best as he could with his limp. "Let me go, bastards! You're not gonna get anymore outta me-!"

"We'll get more pearls whether you want to or not!" one of the men snarled.

The blond kicked him in the knee and was satisfied at the sound of bone breaking and the man's shriek of pain. His action was rewarded with a hard slap, however, driving tears to his eyes that he frantically kept at bay. He wouldn't give his captors that satisfaction.

He whimpered in pain as he was shoved onto his knees, a hand gripping his hair and tugging his head back roughly. "Ouch-!" Hearing a quiet whine of concern, he gasped and managed to peel his eyes open long enough to see a large, silvery-white lizard in front of him. He gasped again. "Seto-!"

The dragon whined again and tried to creep toward him, but the thick, glowing chains kept him tethered to the damp stone walls. His blue eyes darted back and forth wildly, looking for an escape, before he turned a gaze that showed nothing but betrayal and anger on the blond—after all, how had the humans found him and captured him if not for Joey and his knowledge of where he was and what his weakness was?

"Would you like to cooperate now? It's your last chance," one of the men cooed in his ear.

Joey jerked his head away and snarled, "No!"

The voice grew husky with bloodlust. "Then you're just going to have to suffer the consequences, aren't you, sweetie?"

He heard the scrape of heavy metal pliers being dragged across the stone floor and flinched, wondering what they were going to do to make him suffer, until he heard the dragon bellow with pain. Looking up quickly, Joey gasped as he saw the thick pliers peeling away one of the reptile's scales with a sickening sound as if wax was being broken until the entire scale ripped free with a spew of blood.

The dragon bellowed again, rage and pain making his eyes flash with the white lightning that he couldn't expel from his throat because of the binding magic in the chains. He turned his angry gaze on Joey and roared.

Joey watched the silvery-red blood dripping down the dragon's white scales, at first shocked, then immediately remorseful. He couldn't remember what he'd said when that soothsayer had drugged him, but he could only assume that he'd told these people where to find Seto—and he couldn't even begin to contain the feeling of anguish he felt when he realized that he was the reason the dragon was being tortured.

The first sobs that escaped his throat were quiet, but when he saw the pliers clench around another one of the white scales, he began crying harder. "Please stop-! I'll give you all that you want, just please stop hurtin' him!" The dragon keened as the second scale was ripped out, dragging with it a little skin and white membrane.

Joey screamed as the pliers closed around a third scale. "_No! NO! I'll give you as many as you want just please stop!_" The tears trickling down his cheeks should have been hot, but they only cooled his flushed cheeks as they made their ways down to drip off his chin, solidifying into beautiful red- and black-tinted pearls. "Please! Please stop! He has nothing to do with this!"

The grip on his hair returned and jerked his head back viciously, making him whimper in surprise and pain. The man smirked and traced his finger over the blond's jaw line. "_Nothing?_ But this is making you cry more than _anything_ we've done to you. Why should we let this creature go when it's the reason we're getting so many tears?"

Joey hiccupped weakly as the man suddenly leaned over and caught his earlobe between his teeth, bringing his shoulder up in a frightened cringe. "No…!"

"Look at all of these pearls. You didn't make this many when you were beaten." The lips on his ear moved down his neck, making him shudder in disgust even as more tears slid down his cheeks and clattered across the stone floor like marbles. "You didn't even make this many pearls when I locked you in that cell with those men to sodomize you. How many of them took you? Three? All four?"

"_Six,_" the blond whimpered, gasping when the man reached down and grabbed his ass so tightly it hurt. "Aha-!"

"And you liked it, didn't you?"

"No-!"

"But there were only four of them, so you must have begged one or two of them to take you again." The man's slimy tongue darted into his ear.

Joey cringed away, squeezing his eyes shut as he heard another scale rip away from the dragon's flesh and clatter to the ground with the others. "Stop!"

"What? You want to be fucked again? I'm sure a few of my men would love to fuck you. Who knows, maybe if you cry enough, we'll let you heal your little friend."

Joey whimpered and opened his eyes just enough to look at the dragon, flinching at the rage and pain in his surprisingly expressive blue eyes. Squeezing his eyes shut again, he gave a short, jerky nod. "Just please—please stop hurtin' him!"

His admission was promptly followed by his mouth being smashed against the other man's. He fought every instinct he had not to bite his tongue; all he wanted to do was heal the dragon's wounds and maybe pick one of the locks so he could escape.

The dragon roared with rage and lunged against the chains binding him, wild-eyed with fury as the magical metal creaked around him. He watched the blond squirm anxiously and snarled, surging against the bonds anew as the man attacking the blond pawed between the boy's legs roughly. The chains' glow began to wane as he flexed against them harder and longer.

One of the links shattered. That was all that was needed for the spell to become useless.

Snapping the chains easily since the magic had faded, Seto lunged forward, closing his teeth around the man with the pliers and promptly ripping him to shreds. He snatched up another of them men and swallowed him in two bites, then surged toward the blond and the man holding him.

The man threw Joey to the ground and tried to run like the coward he really was, but Seto was having none of it. He'd ordered to have Seto's scales forcibly removed and—apparently—had also ordered for Joey to be raped. He had no idea who the man was working for, but he didn't care. All he knew was he didn't like the way he talked about Joey like a piece of meat.

So he chewed the man up and spit him out like the piece of shit he was.

Joey flinched as the dragon rubbed his bloody muzzle against his side, afraid he might be eaten as well, but relaxed when the lizard instead moved to the tiny barred window and began ripping the stone away. Assuming he would need to escape—he'd seen the anger and hate that Seto had directed at him before the men had begun ripping his scales out—he carefully rolled onto his knees and began crawling away, flinching as his entire body throbbed in protest.

Once the hole was wide enough for his body, Seto turned to grab the blond and whined when he saw the human's eyes wide with terror and wet with tears. Waddling over to him carefully, he scooped the blond up with his front claws and began swiping his warm, wet cheeks with his tongue. He'd realized that Joey wasn't like regular humans, but he hadn't known _how_ he was different.

Now that he'd seen the beautiful pearls that had formed from his tears, he realized that the human needed protection, especially when he'd heard how he'd been abused and hurt—he'd thought the limp had been because of an injury to his leg, but it was really—

Seto whined and licked his cheeks with more gusto. He needed to get Joey out of here and find someone to heal him. The healing for his scales could wait until Joey was healthy again.


	20. My Inspiration

My Inspiration

Seto moved his hand over the bed and sighed, then frowned when he didn't feel a warm body anywhere near his. In fact, the blankets his lover usually occupied were cold. Opening his eyes slowly, he blinked, then began to sit up.

"Hold that pose!"

Seto froze, eyes wide in surprise. His abdomen and back began to strain at the half-upright position. He knew he wouldn't be able to hold it long. In fact, he could already feel his body trembling. Maybe, if he'd been prepared, he would have been able to hold it longer. "Jeno?"

"You can relax now," the nymph replied, and the brunet promptly went limp and hit the mattress with a thump.

"Why do you insist on surprising me into holding awkward poses?" Seto griped, rolling onto his stomach and resting his chin on his hands.

Jeno smiled and shrugged as he continued to carefully ink the picture he'd just sketched. "Because you're my inspiration, Seto. My muse."

The brunet blushed a little. "Don't be stupid, Jeno. I'm a human, not a muse."

The nymph shrugged and hummed quietly. "Well, _I_ think you're a muse. That's all that matters, really."

Seto scowled and reached out to grab at the sheet around the blond's waist, ripping it from his body. "Draw that instead. All of your little friends keep looking at the pictures you draw of me and some of them keep giving me bedroom eyes."

Jeno bit his bottom lip and giggled. "Don't be silly. My friends see this all the time." His eyes darkened both with playfulness and lust. "But the orgies are terrific."

The human immediately stiffened, feeling jealous, aroused, angry, and confused. "You've had orgies?"

"Lots of orgies. We're nymphs, Seto. You _know_ how horny I get. Then get a few other nymphs with my libido and no lovers together, and what do ya have? We're friends. There's nothin' wrong with pleasuring ourselves and each other." Jeno pursed his lips petulantly. "Besides, nymphs are _excellent _lovers." He paused, then glanced down at the brunet's lap. "It's not as if you don't like the idea. What about a threesome?" He smiled. "Yeah! You could fuck me behind and one of my friends could—"

"_No_," Seto cut in sharply. "I have _no_ interest in sharing you now that I have you all to myself."

The nymph's bottom lip stuck out in a sad pout. "…But… But I…"

"_I'm_ the only one that gets to fuck you now, Jeno. As your muse, I demand it." Seto yanked the parchment from his hands as the blond blinked in confusion, then scowled. "This looks nothing like me."

Jeno was immediately offended and crawled onto the bed beside him. "What? _These_ are your abdominal muscles for sure!" He jabbed his finger at the picture before pointing violently at the brunet's body. "See? There's the definition, and—"

"Why don't you prove it?" the human asked slyly, grabbing the blond's hand and gently pressing it against his stomach. "_This_ definition?"

Jeno blushed brightly, then smiled, fingers slowly tracing over each muscle. "Yeah. This dip here, and this… Hnn…"

Seto nearly purred as the nymph suddenly whimpered and turned his back to him. "What's the matter?"

"You know what's the matter, ya jerk," Jeno muttered in embarrassment. "Ya always get me horny."

"Aren't you glad I can keep up with you?" the brunet asked, pulling him down onto his lap. "My amorous little nymph."

Jeno squirmed and muttered to himself for a few minutes, then sighed and turned toward him with a perturbed scowl. "'m not little." He glared at him for a moment before adding, "And I'm finishin' that picture of ya after ya fuck me."

"If you must," Seto sighed, rolling his eyes, only to moan when the nymph rocked against him roughly. "If you're nice, I might even pose for you."

Jeno squealed with glee and immediately tackled him backward, doing his best to be the nicest nymph he was capable of.


	21. Never Again

Author's Note: So. Wolf demons like Koga from _InuYasha_, I guess.

* * *

><p><span>Never Again<span>

Seto smiled a little as he ran his hand through the blond's hair, content to stay there for hours, but he really had to get up. So, sighing, he sat up, then moved the furs and blankets over his mate so that he would stay warm while he was gone. He leaned down to kiss the blond's forehead before finally slipping out from the last of the blankets and shivering. "Ugh-!"

If he had the choice, he'd never again leave the warmth of his mate and their bed. Unfortunately, with his mate carrying their pups, he had no choice but to leave and go hunting for him, since he was currently incapable. He couldn't help a smile as Joey immediately rolled into the middle of the furs, rolled up like a cocoon and mewing quietly as he snuffled the furs for his mate's scent.

He kissed Joey's forehead again, then turned and, preparing himself for the cold of winter, began out into the snow to hunt for his mate.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey hummed and licked his lips as he smelled bloody meat. "Mm…" He snuggled closer into his blankets and sighed, smiling as he sensed his mate crawling back under the blankets with him. "Set—_OH!_" He yelped as the brunet's cold body pressed up against his own. "Oh! –Seto!" He cupped the brunet's cheeks and rubbed noses with him, frowning when he felt how cold his nose was against his own. "Oh, Seto, you're freezin'…"

Seto smiled awkwardly as the blond went about covering him with the blankets and shifted away from him. "I wouldn't want to lower your body temperature, love."

"The pups 'll be fine," Joey murmured, kissing his chest lightly before reaching down to pull off his damp fur-kilt and toss it out of their little warm, dry haven. "What didja bring me?"

"Rabbit. A big, fatty rabbit." Seto kissed him gently and sighed. "I almost had a doe, but then this stag came out of nowhere and head butted me."

"Aw, poor baby…" Joey continued to kiss his chest, smiling as he reached down and pulled his own fur-kilt off. "Lemme help ya feel better…"

"Hmm?" Seto blinked as the blond rolled on top of him. "Joey, we really shouldn't—" Moments later, the light disappeared, and he realized that his mate had pulled the furs over them to shroud them in darkness as he began to rock against him. "What about the pups?"

"The healers said not t' get out of bed, not that I couldn't have sex. –Ooh! Mm, ya feel so good inside me!"

He grabbed blindly until he managed to grasp the blond's hips and yank him down. "Ngh. If this is how you warm me up whenever I hunt for you, perhaps I should hunt more often."

"Uhn! Oh! Oh, Seto-! Ooh! You're—huh—yes—" Joey howled as the brunet slammed up into him harder. "Yeeessss! Set-! Oh, I'm gonna—Seto, I'm gonna—" He whined quietly. "Aw, these pups have shot my endurance all t' hell! 'm sorry, Seto!"

Seto kissed him gently. "It's okay. Go ahead and come. I don't mind." He smiled against the blond's lips and whispered, "We can just do it again later, if you feel like it."

The blond whined again. "I have never been so horny in my entire _life,_" he moaned helplessly. He bit his bottom lip and mewled as he came, hips shaking with the force of his climax. "_UH!_"

Feeling the younger boy's body clenching around his own, Seto let out a long howl as he came. "_JOEY!_"

Joey mewed as he felt the sticky wetness between his legs. "Yessss…"

"Mm…" Seto reached up to cup the blond's cheeks, then pulled the furs and blankets from over their heads and carefully tucked it around him. "You should have said you were horny. I would have helped you sooner."

The blond's pink cheeks flushed darker. "I didn't wanna be too demandin'. I gotta stay wrapped up in these blankets all winter and ya hafta hunt for me, so I didn't wanna put ya out."

The older boy smiled slightly. "You're never going to put me out. I'm the one that got you this way, after all." He pet the blond's baby-bump and grinned smugly. "You're so beautiful."

Joey blushed even more and leaned down to tuck his head beneath his chin. "Oh, shut up."

Seto chuckled quietly. "Yes, dear." The blond smacked his arm in embarrassment. "I suppose we'll eat the rabbit later."

"…'m not hungry right now anyway."


	22. Online

Online

_Sethos is online._

Joey immediately jabbed the message bubble and typed in, _**Jeez, I was starting to get worried.**_

The voice on the screen that spoke, however, was female, courtesy of his sister; when she'd bought him the game, she hadn't realized the package had been for female characters only. She'd apologized profusely when he pointed it out, but he'd been amused rather than annoyed, considering that the female characters had actually come with better equipment and more powers—something to try and lure more female gamers online.

He'd happily accepted the extra powers. Sure, a lot of people whined that it was giving girls an unfair advantage, but he'd always figured that girls would be more dangerous in a fight.

Sethos, the character he'd been meeting in-game a lot recently was male, and the deep baritone that answered him was so sexy and without the mechanical lilt to the words that he could only assume that the Draconian's voice was real. He was kind of glad Serenity hadn't been able to afford a headset. He was sure his male voice coming from the female character would have been a humongous turn-off, even if only for in-game partnerships to complete multiplayer quests.

_**No need to worry. I just got caught up in a project at work.**_

Joey shivered and bit his bottom lip, telling himself that it must be a side-effect of having a female character that made the man's voice so attractive. …Not that his character was unattractive either.

…_**Hello?**_

Joey jumped and hurriedly typed an answer. _**Sorry, got distracted. So, wanna go smash some fairies?**_

…_**Why do you like that game so much?**_ The other man muttered, but clicked for his character to move toward the forest the game was held in. _**It's only a mini-game, anyway. Wouldn't you rather do a quest or something?**_

The blond snorted, typing, _**A serious quest should always be started and finished with a warm-up mini-game.**_

_**Sort of like sex should always be started with foreplay and ended with cuddling, puppy?**_

Joey let out a yelp and promptly fell backward in his chair. "GAH!"

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto raised an eyebrow and smiled a little. He wondered how long it would take his boyfriend to figure out it was him. It hadn't taken much to program his microphone to make his voice lower. Joey was cute when he was pretending to be a girl online.

The feminine character's voice screamed at him, _**SETO KAIBA I AM GOING TO MURDER YOU SO HARD YOU WILL DIE TO DEATH.**_

Seto flinched and threw his headphones away, rubbing at his ears frantically. "Ow-!" He paused, wondering how the blond had gotten his character to scream, before he realized what had been said. How had Joey figured out it was him-?

…Oh God. He'd called him _puppy_.

_**I WILL RIP OUT YOUR SPLEEN AND MAKE YOU EAT IT AND THEN I WILL YANK OUT YOUR GUTS AND STRANGLE YOU WITH THEM. YOUR DEATH WILL NOT BE SWIFT. IT WILL BE SLOW AND PAINFUL. ARE YOU STILL THERE? SETO KAIBA. SETO KAIBA. KAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIII—**_

.-.-.-.-.-.

Mokuba blinked as he heard his brother's door slam open and looked up from his video game as his door slammed open as well. "Seto-?"

"Please run damage control," Seto stated, promptly crawling under the younger boy's bed.

Mokuba scowled. "Joey found out you were the player he kept meeting up with, didn't he? Get out from under my bed and face the consequences. I told you it was a bad idea."

"Mokuba, please. He's going to murder me so hard I die to death."

The younger boy paused, then rolled his eyes. "I suppose I'll make him promise not to kill you. I can't promise that he won't maim you though."

"He's going to make me eat my spleen."


	23. Failure

Author's Note: This is a follow-up to Tears.

* * *

><p><span>Failure<span>

Seto whined as the blond cringed away from his claws. Joey had never shrunk from him before. Why now? Sure, he may not have been happy to be kidnapped, but his anger had been short-lived when he saw how sorry and upset Joey had been when he'd had to watch his scales being ripped out.

…Those men had hurt his human friend almost irreparably.

Seto advanced on the human and whined when he backed away, reaching out once he'd cornered him and gently pulled the blond into his claws. _**Joey…**_

"Please let me go-!" Joey gasped, flinching. "Seto, please-!" He struggled wildly and finally—desperately—slapped the area around where the dragon's sensitive scales had been ripped out.

The white dragon let out an anguished, angry roar and dropped him, shrinking backward instinctively.

Joey whimpered as he was dropped, body throbbing with pain. "Ah-!" He struggled to his feet again and began limping toward the entrance of the den, leaning on the wall every few steps when the pain became too much. "Uhn…"

He felt like a failure. He'd tried to keep his relationship with the dragon a secret—his own powers a secret—but had somehow been found out for what he was and who he knew. He'd been abused and, when he'd failed to produce as many pearls as his captors wanted, had given up his friend in a drug-induced haze. His breath hitched as he heard a few pearls clatter across the floor. He hadn't even realized he was crying.

Seto snarled and rushed around the blond to shove the boulder that served as his door in front of the entrance so he couldn't leave. Turning back to the human, he whined quietly. _**Joey. Please. I see that this wasn't your fault. Please stop trying to run away.**_

"They hurt ya t' get t' me," Joey whispered, sobbing quietly. "I don't want anyone else t' hurt ya just t' get my tears. I love ya too much. If I leave ya, they won't have any reason t' think that hurtin' ya will affect me. I just don't wanna be the cause of your hurt." He reached out toward the bloody spot on the dragon's side, then flinched and pulled his hand back. "Look what they did t' ya, just t' get me t' cry for 'em. Look what I caused."

_**You didn't do this.**_ Seto's voice was soft—soothing in a way that the blond couldn't explain and didn't really want to. _**They did. What did they accept in place of torturing me, Joey?**_

The human sighed, reaching up to scrub away his tears. "Seto, I—"

_**What did you offer them in place of torturing me, Joey?**_ the dragon repeated gently but firmly.

Joey shivered and bit his bottom lip. "…My body," he finally whispered, disgusted with himself, but not sorry—he'd have done anything, if they'd just stop hurting Seto.

_**They abused you before, too.**_ Seto placed his claws on the blond's hips and whined. _**You're hurt. I need to go fetch someone to heal you.**_

The human frowned and reached out to touch one of his claws gently. "But Seto, you're still bleedin'!" He bit his bottom lip. "Let me heal ya real quick—Where do ya keep your herbs—" He yelped as the dragon suddenly plucked him up by gripping his arms, startled as he was then deposited on a big pile of soft furs.

_**I don't have any,**_ Seto replied immediately. _**Another reason why I need to go get someone to heal you. If you make a list for me, I will gladly ask for them so you may have them when we return so you can be healed.**_

Joey blushed a little and began to move off of the blankets, but the dragon immediately cowed him with a single sharp look from his dark eyes. "…But… I…"

_**You are hurt just as much as I am—maybe even more so. Please, let me get someone to heal you. After all, how are you supposed to heal me when you can barely move?**_

"Oh. O-okay. I guess ya have a point…"

_**Of course I do,**_ Seto replied, then turned and rolled the boulder out of the way. He turned to look back at the human with a crooked smile. _**Stay there. Those furs will be good for your back.**_

Joey blushed a little more and ducked his head in embarrassment. "Okay."

_**Good. I'll be back shortly.**_

The blond squeezed his eyes shut and sighed. "Okay."


	24. Rebirth

Rebirth

Seto licked his lips as he watched the blond in his arms go deathly pale, the light in his eyes fading as the life in him drained away. The younger boy suddenly jerked in his arms, eyes wide but sightless as he feebly gripped the brunet's leather coat.

"_Seto_," he rasped, voice weak. "_Seto, 'm dyin'._"

The brunet hummed. "Of course you are, Joey. I sucked all of the blood out of you."

The human's grasp on his coat, already weak, slackened further. "Wh…y…"

"Because you're mine," the vampire replied, lifting his hand to gently run his thumb over the blond's damp bottom lip. "And you always will be." He leaned down, gently brushing their lips together, before he added, "Your rebirth should be spectacular."

If Joey tried to reply, it was immediately smothered by the brunet's lips. He managed to squeak weakly before his eyes drifted shut. Seto kissed him a few moments longer before sinking his teeth into his own tongue. Once he was certain the tang of blood in his mouth was his, he began kissing him harder, forcing his blood into the blond's mouth and down his throat.

Joey gripped his jacket again with a sigh, shuddering weakly as he felt the brunet's cold blood trickling down his throat. He gasped weakly as the vampire broke the kiss, chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. "Uhn…"

Seto brushed his lips over the curve of the blond's ear before quietly hissing, "_Change._"

Joey's body jerked wildly in his arms. His pupils dilated so that his eyes looked almost black as his fingernails lengthened and came to sharp points. He thrashed a moment longer before his lips parted and a long, ear-piercing shriek escaped his throat.

Seto watched the blond's eyeteeth extend and couldn't help a grin when he imagined the younger boy forgetting what he'd become and scratching and biting him as he made love to him.

Ah, he was getting ahead of himself. As the blond's jerking and thrashing began to slow, he carefully set him on the couch and walked over to grab one of the packets of blood a friend had provided from the hospital. He ripped the corner of the plastic open with his own sharp teeth and walked back to the new vampire. "Hungry, love?"

Joey's dilated eyes moved toward his voice, but he obviously couldn't see him. His voice was gravely when he spoke. "_Hung…ry… So… hun…gry…_"

Seto slid his hand behind the blond's neck and propped him into a sitting position, brushing his thumb over the two punctures in his throat lovingly before pressing the edge of the plastic bag against his lips. "Open your mouth."

"Hn…" Letting his jaw drop obediently, he gasped a little as he tasted the tangy iron of blood again. He was repulsed, but at the same time, he craved more and more of it. He suckled at the bag and released a guttural moan that oozed sex-appeal and hunger.

The brunet shuddered but forced himself to calm down; Joey was still consuming his first meal, and he'd need to wait for him to completely digest it before he seduced him. However, as the blond licked his fingers and looked up at him, the baby-vampire's eyes conveyed nothing but _'Fuck me, Master.'_

Seto could only assume that the wait for Joey to digest his food would be just as torturous for the blond as it was for him.


	25. Breaking Away

Author's Note: Follow-up to Rivalry. Sort of intense I guess? Laws of nature make me sad. **:/**

* * *

><p><span>Breaking Away<span>

Seto was concerned when he couldn't find his mate. The herd had gathered, to celebrate all of the eggs that had hatched the previous week, but his pregnant mate was nowhere to be found. It made him nervous. What if he'd broken away from the herd? What if he was sick, or weak, and had left on his own? Other dragons would take advantage of him like that!

He began snuffling around for his mate's scent and found it relatively quickly. Joey was, after all, one of the few black dragons that gathered with the white dragons to celebrate hatchings. He followed the smaller dragon's scent with growing concern. It was changing. He couldn't tell what that change meant, but he knew it was important.

"—Nghaaaaa!"

Seto snorted in surprise, then rushed into the cave he'd found. "Joey-!"

Joey hadn't been as far inside the cave as he'd thought, because the black dragon's claws immediately closed around his snout. "Gaaaahhhhh!"

Seto flinched. "Nmgh!"

"Oh, 'm sorry—thought that was your claw…" Joey released his snout and instead grabbed at the larger dragon's claws with his own. "Seto, I'm—Hnn!"

Seto watched the blond's face contort in pain. "You're what? What's wrong? Should I get Ishizu-?"

"No, 'm just—Ngh!" Joey wailed quietly. "They're comin' out!"

"What? The eggs? But I thought you didn't lay eggs," Seto muttered, frowning in confusion, before his eyes widened in realization. "Oh. You're giving birth now."

The black dragon whimpered and whined quietly. "Yeeeeessssss!"

"Oh." Seto stared at him for a moment, heard a splatter and quiet squeal, then promptly passed out.

If Joey hadn't been preoccupied with his squealing and confused kit, he might have smacked him.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto woke to the smack he'd really been expecting as soon as he passed out. "Ow!"

"Hurry up. We're leavin'," Joey stated shortly.

Seto blinked. "Leaving to where?"

The black dragon pursed his scaly lips. "To the den, of course. This isn't our cave. Besides, if I don't leave soon, I may just bite ya."

Black dragons had always been violent when it came to the safety of their kits. Seto promptly heaved himself to his feet, examining the three kits looking up at him. "You said a half a dozen."

Joey tilted his head and frowned. "Seto, we carry more eggs than will survive because we know that raises the chance that some of 'em _will_. –Oh," he whispered in realization when he saw the brunet's stricken expression. "Oh, Seto, I never told ya, did I? I'm so sorry. I thought I had. Oh, Seto—"

Seto walked over to the soft, wet eggs that hadn't even had a chance and whined, grasping one of them delicately between his claws. "…You were just going to leave them like this?"

The black dragon's tail trailed on the ground as he awkwardly looked down at his feet. "…It's what black dragons do…"

"…I'd like to bury them," Seto stated, then glanced at the three kits that all seemed to take after their mother except for one with blue eyes and another with white scales. "Take the kits to the den. I'll catch up."

Joey frowned. "Shouldn't I… shouldn't I help?"

"It's not what black dragons do," Seto replied quietly. "You should take the kits to our den. I'll take care of these."

The smaller dragon hesitated before nodding a little. "Okay." Turning, he began out of the cave, releasing a tittering noise that the kits immediately began following, waddling awkwardly on unsteady legs to follow their mother.

Seto couldn't help a smile. "Ducklings."

Joey paused in the entrance of the den and looked back at him, still frowning. "What?"

"Oh. It's just… they really are like ducklings."

The black dragon offered an awkward smile, nodding a little, then walked out of the cave, the three little kits waddling in line behind him.

Seto waited until he knew they were gone before delicately rubbing his cheek against the eggs. "I'm sorry, babies."

Once he'd buried the eggs and said a little prayer for them, he returned back to the den. As he approached, he heard soft sucking sounds, so he carefully peeked into the cave and smiled when he saw the black dragon lying on his side, the three kits suckling and squealing quietly. He twisted his head around to gently lick and nuzzle each one separately.

Creeping into the den, Seto curled around his mate's other side and nuzzled the bases of his wings. "Hello."

Joey turned his head and smiled. "Hello. Do we need to do a naming ceremony for them?"

"Akako, Kisara, and Sojy. There. Ceremony finished." Seto laid his head on the younger dragon's neck and purred.

Joey blinked. "Sojy?"

"The first and last letters of both of our names. I would have said Jyso, except that sounds terrible."

The black dragon giggled a little. "It sounds like jizz."

Seto scowled at him. "Well, I didn't actually want to say that, but yeah, that's another reason I didn't want to say it."

"I'm sorry I'm so immature," Joey replied, twisting around to nuzzle against his cheek. "Can we change the spelling to use an I instead of a Y?"

"…If you must."

"I must. OW!" He twisted his head back to glare at the three kits and roared, "STOP USING YOUR TEETH."

The teeth that had been gnawing on him receded before the suckling continued.

Joey grumbled and turned to lay his head on the white dragon's back. "Jeez."

Seto chuckled quietly and licked his horns gently. "You're cute when you're mad."

"Shut up. They've got sharp teeth."


	26. Forever and a Day

Forever and a Day

It had felt like forever since he'd seen his lover.

Actually, in human standards, it had been.

Joey went to the barred window and grasped the cold metal, leaning his head against them sadly. "…Seto…"

He watched the moon travelling across the dark sky and sighed, brows furrowing together. _'I remember when I used t' be up there with ya.'_ He closed his eyes tightly and sighed again to keep from sobbing instead. _'I remember the way you'd smile at me as ya drove by in your chariot. I remember the way ya made your horses slow down whenever ya passed. I remember that one moment during that eclipse when ya leaned over just enough to…'_ He released one of the bars to trail his fingers over his lips. _'…Then that one night ya got someone t' drive your chariot for ya and ya spent that entire night with me.'_

That one night—their only night—had been the most beautiful thing he'd ever experienced. And then the gods had gotten angry and had imprisoned him in this tower for distracting a bright god like Seto from his duties. He had been punished, and Seto had gotten off with a slap on the wrist and then taken back to his chariot to resume his duties.

He wondered if Seto had thought of him at all while he was locked in the tower, but he didn't think too much about it. He didn't want to dwell on the thought that maybe it was just a flighty fancy for him.

Watching the moon disappear behind the curve of the earth, Joey sighed again and turned back to his room. As a star, they'd given him a beautifully furnished room, but that didn't stop it from being what it was—a cell that he was trapped in.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto pet the silver stallion's strong neck and smiled a little as he led it into its stall. The celestial horses had stamina even the gods admired, but that didn't mean they could continue for eons and eons. Just what humans considered forever. Perhaps forever and a day. The chariot was being yoked with fresh horses now.

He gave the horse one last pat before turning and looking out the window, toward a black spot in the sky where a star should have been but wasn't. He frowned. "Joey."

He was being promoted to a higher god-ship. Some lower god was taking on his job. Perhaps he could plead his case with the Old Ones. He could explain that he'd been young and foolish, that he hadn't known the consequences of his actions and had been acting with his heart and not his head. He could argue that it wasn't fair that Joey had been the only one punished when Joey had merely allowed him to stay with him for that night and Seto had rudely intruded in his space.

It hadn't been fair. Whenever he'd passed the tower Joey had been imprisoned in, he'd looked for him, and had seen flashes of blond hair before the star had moved from the window. Perhaps he was angry or jealous that Seto had been allowed to go free again while he'd been trapped in that tower.

He didn't blame him.

Seto remembered the one night of passion they'd shared and hoped that Joey remembered it just as fondly.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey turned in surprise as he heard a key in the lock, wondering who had come to visit him. No one did, really, except a few of the other stars that had been nearby. The gods didn't really bother with the stars unless they were distracting them.

Maybe it was Yugi. Yugi had promised to visit again soon.

He stood as the door creaked open, for some reason feeling nervous even though he knew he really had no reason to be. "Didja bring me anything? I've missed havin' those things humans make, those cokies or whatever!"

"Sorry." The brunet offered him a crooked smile. "I just brought me. I don't know what cokies are, otherwise I might have brought some for you."

"You… I… Huh…?" Joey blinked at him slowly, then gasped, rushing over to throw his arms around his neck. "Oh, Seto!"

Seto hugged him back tightly. "Joey…"

"I'm glad ya didn't get in too much trouble." Joey pressed a kiss against the god's throat. "'m sorry, Seto."

"_You're _sorry?" Seto frowned. "But you didn't even—" The star looked up at him so earnestly that it almost hurt to return his gaze. "…I missed you," he finally sighed, realizing that Joey wouldn't allow him to take any blame—at least not right now, not after he'd been locked in a tower by himself to think about what had happened. "I love you."

Joey kissed him and moaned, enjoying the feel of the brunet's lips against his. "I missed ya so much… Please… Please, keep touchin' me…" He shivered as the god's hands moved over his skin, almost reverently slow. "Oh Seto… Seto, I've been alone so long… Please…"

Alone so long without anyone to touch him, to talk to him, to be intimate with him.

Seto kissed him again and led him over to the bed. "I love you."

Joey moaned. "A human forever has never seemed so long," he whispered helplessly. "I wanted t' be with ya so much, Seto."

The brunet laid him on the bed and smiled. "It was a human forever and a day. Not that I was counting or anything."

"Or anything," Joey whispered, the tears in his eyes from joy rather than loneliness for the first time since he'd been imprisoned. "Seto. I love ya. It hurt so bad t' see ya every night and not have ya see me. I almost wished we'd never made love just so I coulda been out there with ya—"

Seto kissed him again before he could finish. That one night had kept them apart for forever and a day, but the Old Ones had assured him that their dues had been paid and that they would have many more forevers to spend together. "We're together now. That's all that matters."

The star made a soft sound of pleasure and pressed against him. "Yeah. Together. Seto…" He kissed the brunet's shoulder and sighed. "Yes…"

Seto cupped his cheek and smiled before drawing him into another kiss, wondering if it was wrong to want to keep the blond in the tower for another forever just to keep him to himself. He wouldn't act on that, of course—he wouldn't force the star to stay trapped for even a day—but the thought was there, and he had to admit that keeping Joey to himself wasn't a terrible idea, but it would be if carried out in action.

But as Joey hooked his legs over the brunet's hips, he decided Joey probably wouldn't mind, either.


	27. Lost and Found

Lost and Found

'_The art of sacrifice has really been lost,'_ Seto sighed, raising an eyebrow as he watched the humans carefully chalking a sacrificial circle. _'I really hope it's not a goat. I'm sort of tired of goats. I remember when they used to sacrifice cows. That was a lot more acceptable.'_

He pondered the pros and cons of goats versus cows as the humans continued setting up their sacrificial circle, wondering whether he should reward them or punish them. He supposed it all depended on what kind of goat it was. They'd been sacrificing old and sickly ones for years… If it was another unhealthy one, he'd punish them; if it was healthy, he'd reward them.

Looking back down at the sacrificial circle, he immediately balked. _'THAT IS NOT A GOAT!'_

The girl was young—too young to be a proper sacrifice—with long red hair and hazel eyes shiny with tears. She looked so small, so young. This wasn't right. They weren't supposed to sacrifice children. He'd thought that they'd gotten past that human sacrifice stage.

The lines of chalk began to glow as the people began chanting, and Seto sighed and turned his gaze away. "Mokuba, go get Atem. Tell him that they're sacrificing a human to me. She's young, she doesn't have the dirt of hard life on her yet. She'll be allowed into the Clouds for sure."

Mokuba flinched as the girl screamed and nodded quickly. "Right. I'll be right back."

Seto trusted that he would and turned back to the sacrificial circle, frowning. The girl screamed again as the flames from the circle shot up, licking at her body and white sacrificial robes.

Then he saw a flash of gold and tan, and the girl was promptly shoved from the circle.

Seto's eyes widened as he saw who had taken the girl's place, a blond teen that looked angry and sad and happy and victorious all at once as the fire leapt up and consumed him.

—"_**Please take me in my sister's place," Jono whispered helplessly. "Please. She's so young. She's got so much longer to live. Please take me instead. Please."**_

_**Seto looked the blond over and smirked. "You're certainly not a bad substitute."**_

—"_**Hah!" Jono gasped as the god pulled out of him and fell limp against the silk sheets of his bed. "Gods…"**_

"_**Just one. Just me." Seto stroked the blond's bottom lip with his thumb and smiled. "You belong only to me, pet."**_

—"_**I love you." Jono reached up to cup the brunet's cheek. "Can I stay where you forever?"**_

_**Seto's smile was strained. "Of course you can, Jono.**_

—_**Jono's breath came hard and left quickly with sickening raspy sounds. "You said I could stay with you forever."**_

_**Seto frowned and reached out to cup his cheek. "I was an idiot. I was afraid of letting you enter godhood and now I must pay for that. I'll look for you, Jono. You'll be reincarnated. I'll find you."**_

_**Jono looked up at him with tears in his eyes. "Don't bother. Just leave my future selves alone." His breath hitched. "I'm sorry I wasted my heart on such a coward. All I wanted was to be with you, and you were too afraid of spending the rest of time with me. Maybe if you man up a little, I'll reconsider. Until then, just leave me alone." His breath hitched again. "Goodbye, Seto."**_

"_**I'm going to find you and I'm going to do what I should have done with you this lifetime," Seto promised, just before the light faded from the blond's eyes.**_

'…_I've found you.'_ Seto stood from his throne and walked over to where the blond's soul would arrive. As the human arrived, his skin smudged with ash and surrounded by smoke, he reached out to touch his cheek.

The boy ducked his hand with a flinch. "So I was right. Ya are here, ya bastard."

Seto frowned and let his hand fall back to his side. "Jono."

"My name is Joey," the blond snapped, taking a step back. "And ya have no right t' call me by that name."

"You didn't have that accent when we last met," the god commented idly as he began circling him. "It's been three centuries, Jono—"

"_Joey,_" Joey spat, glaring at him.

"—So why won't you forgive me?"

The blond rolled his eyes and growled. "Could have somethin' t' do with ya promisin' that I could stay with ya forever. And then ya let me die."

"Your new accent is cute," Seto replied idly and was pleased when the human's cheeks burned bright red. He reached out to grab the blond and pulled him up against his body roughly.

Joey mewed and nuzzled against his chest, then flinched and tried to struggle out of his arms. "Lemme go, bastard, I—"

Seto saw the humans chalking up a new sacrificial circle and scowled, then turned and shoved the blond onto his throne. Pressing his index finger to his forehead while he sat stunned, he said, "Every time you move, you will feel a thrill of pleasure so intense that you will not want to leave this chair. If you don't want to make a mess of yourself, you'll do your best to stay still until I return."

He wasn't surprised when the blond immediately tried to punch him.

"Ya bastard, I didn't—_HNN!_" Joey threw his head back, eyes wide and mouth falling open as his body was wracked with pleasure. "Seto help oh gods please!"

"Try not to move too much," Seto suggested, then turned and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Joey growled and started to stand up, but then another thrum of pleasure vibrated through his body quite nicely. "_Ngh!_" Falling back onto the seat, he could only pant as he watched through teary eyes as the brunet appeared within the sacrificial circle.

"That is quite enough," Seto stated darkly. "You've ruined enough lives by sacrificing humans. If you sacrifice another one, I will burn this entire land until it's a barren wasteland." He wasn't surprised when the humans scattered in terror, either. He was surprised, however, when the girl that had been his intended sacrifice rushed up to him, sobbing. "Eh?"

"Sir, please bring my brother back. Please. He didn't deserve that. I know my mother was mean to him but he didn't deserve to die!" She looked up at him pleadingly. "Please, give him back. Please!"

Seto frowned. "Even I don't have the power to do that," he sighed, then stroked her cheek gently, immediately drying her tears. "Don't cry for him. He's in a better place now. I'll take care of him until it's your time to see us. Then you'll get to spend more time with him."

She felt like she was crying, but she didn't feel any tears in her eyes or on her cheeks. "But…"

"Walk out of here. Don't show them how much they've hurt you. They'll treat you better than they have before and they'll be indebted to your family. Remind them that I'm angry and tell them the only reason that I'm not smiting the entire country is because you pleaded for me not to in memory of your brother."

Seto smiled crookedly. "I've been looking for him for years and now that I've finally found him, I'm inclined to grant whatever wishes. I have a suspicion that he'll only wish for the best for you."

The girl sniffed, then smiled, a beautiful and tragic expression all at once. "Please take care of him."

"I will," he promised, reaching out to squeeze her hand.

"_**SETO GOD OF WEATHER, COME UP HERE THIS INSTANT AND RELEASE THIS HUMAN FROM YOUR THRONE!"**_

Seto flinched. He'd forgotten that he'd sent for Atem. "Um. I have to go."

"_**WHAT HAVE YOU EVEN DONE TO HIM? THIS LOOKS LIKE TORTURE TO ME AND I THOUGHT I'D TOLD YOU NO MORE TORTURING THE HUMANS!"**_

The girl blinked at him but shrugged awkwardly. "Okay. I'm sure you're busy."

"_**WHY WOULD YOU EVEN DO THIS, YOU SICK BASTARD!"**_

"Er… Yeah… busy…" the brunet muttered, disappearing in another burst of smoke.

She blinked at where he'd been standing. He hoped everything was okay. The god had gone considerably pale.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"You are one lucky bastard," Joey stated, smirking slyly.

Seto scowled. "Atem remembered how upset I was after your death."

"He called ya a kinky asshole and told ya that your throne was not a sex toy."

"I'd thought it would keep you still until I got back." The brunet's eyes narrowed as he remembered the sated mess of a blond he'd come back to. "You're still the sex fiend I remember you being. How was I supposed to know you'd get yourself off just to annoy me?"

"I figured I'd make ya angry because ya hadn't been there t' watch. I wasn't expecting His Highness t' come by." Joey at least had the decency to blush. "I didn't mean to get off and have him find me."

"You're going to be a lot of trouble," the god muttered, but held him close regardless of his annoyance. "Tomorrow, you become a demigod."

The blond blinked. "Really?"

"I learned from my mistake. Now that I've finally found you, I'm keeping you. I will not lose you again." He paused, then added, "I thought a lot about what you said before you died. I really was a coward. I'm sorry. I want to make it right."

Joey stared up at him for a few minutes, then smiled and leaned up to kiss his cheek. "I guess I forgive ya, then."

"…Thank you."


	28. Light

Author's Note: Short and simple. SHUT UP I DIDN'T LIKE THIS THEME!

* * *

><p><span>Light<span>

Seto frowned and leaned back in his seat. "Atem, please tell me that we're almost finished. This is the most boring diplomatic dinner I have ever had to sit through."

Atem laughed awkwardly. "Yes, well, these people insist that we at least stay through the entertainment."

Seto sighed. "_Fine._"

Suddenly, all of the lights in the room went out. Seto and Atem stiffened, ready to attack, but then a light began to glow out in the middle of the floor where people had been previously dancing. The couples had moved off of the floor, however, leaving one person on the floor.

His body was draped in what looked like satin, almost see-through. It was wrapped around his waist and shoulders, and another swatch was wrapped around his head, leaving only sharp brown eyes exposed, lined heavily with black make-up.

There was a pause, a breath, before music started and the boy (man?) began to sway, twisting and curling to the sounds of the music.

Seto watched the light curve around the boy and swallowed thickly as it followed him around the dance floor. "Wow."

Atem glanced at his cousin, then smiled slightly and waved for one of the servants to approach, mindless of the darkness. He sensed one of them walk up to him and said, "I'd like to speak to your master about this dancer. Could he be perhaps sent to my cousin's bedroom after dinner?"

The slave bowed deeply to show he'd heard and turned to relay the message to his master.

Atem glanced at his cousin again. He hoped his cousin appreciated it. Then again, the way Seto's eyes followed the boy so intently, he doubted that the brunet would mind.


	29. Dark

Dark

Seto flinched as the dark fire surrounding him suddenly arched inward. The black flames licked away all of his clothes and left a few burns on his skin. "Okay, I get it. Don't mess with demons of dark fire. Could you _please_ stop that?"

Joey's mouth twisted into a grin that showed off his sharp eyeteeth. "I don't see why I should. Such a cocky ice demon deserves bein' put in his place."

"I'm naked," the brunet spat, scowling at him. "Either burn my skin off or stop it."

The fire demon frowned and leaned his head on his hand, muttering, "Oh, you're no fun at all."

Seto's brows furrowed together as the fire fell away. "You think burning people's clothes away is fun?"

"Well, the thing that comes after usually is," the blond muttered petulantly, slouching against the stone wall of his cave. "Fine, if you're gonna be a cold fish, just go away."

"…The thing that comes after burning people's clothes away?" Seto blinked. "What comes after? Ripping their skin off with your claws?"

Joey looked up at him with an expression that clearly conveyed that he'd asked a stupid question. "Uh, _no,_ idiot. Bow-chicka-_wow-wow._"

The brunet frowned. "I don't know what that tune means."

The fire demon sighed and rolled his eyes. "Jeez, you high-born bastards are _hopeless._ It's a wonder you've been able t' breed with anyone!" Standing up straight, he scratched the back of his head and began walking deeper into his cave. "Well, whatever. I'm sure someone would love to give you their clothes."

Joey gasped as long, cold fingers wrapped around his wrist and turned in surprise. "Ahn-?"

"If you want me to have sex with you, you should tell me plainly."

"Gah-!" Gasping again as the brunet pressed up against him, the younger demon could only let out a long keen as the ice demon ground between his legs. "Hnnn!"

Seto nuzzled the blond's neck. "Well, you've burned off my clothes. Perhaps you should rid yourself of yours," he whispered. Dark flames immediately sprang up between them, burning away the remaining barrier and surprising the ice demon with how good the tickling warmth felt. "Do you do this often?"

"Guh!" Joey's eyes rolled back as the brunet immediately thrust into him. "Do-! What!"

"Burn away people's clothes and have sex with them. Do you do that often?"

The blond wailed as the ice demon began pounding him against the stone wall. "Gaaaah!" His claws dug into the brunet's back lightly. "Huh-!"

Seto growled quietly as the blond's warm hands slid over his own chilly skin. "You can dig your nails in. I don't care." He smirked as the fire demon squealed in delight. "How many other people have fucked you like this?"

"Not—many—'specially—not—as good—'s you—Aaaaahhhhhh!"

"You squeal like a little bitch," Seto commented, smirking, and grunted as the blond viciously dug his claws into his back in retaliation.

"Ooh! Wha-! Oooooh!" Joey squirmed as the brunet continued to pound into him, wailing as he was so roughly fucked. "Oh, gods, how are ya so good at this…!"

"Say my name," the brunet hissed, pressing him harder against the wall. "Scream it. Seto. _Say it._"

"S-Seto-!" Groaning, Joey dug his nails in harder. "Yes—Seto, I'm gonna—Seto—_SETOOOO!_"

Seto's eyes flashed with recognition—feisty-submissive-playful-sensitive-_mine_—and, as the blond squealed and climaxed, tightening around him, he couldn't help but sink his teeth into the tender flesh of his neck as he came as well.

"Uh-! Lemme go! Damn it, what did ya—No!" Joey squirmed and tried to push his face away. "Gah! Stupid, I wanted sex, not a mate! Bastard, this wasn't what I—I didn't wanna—_why?_" he asked, voice cracking a little as he looked up at the brunet. "I'm a dark fire demon. You're an _ice_ demon. What'll people say?"

Seto frowned. "What does it matter what other people think? I'm a demon that's very high class. Who I choose to mate with is my business alone." He smirked. "Besides, you have to admit, our children would be quite powerful."

The blond blinked. "…Or they could _suck._"

The ice demon pursed his lips. "Yes, or they could be incredibly weak."

"You're stupid," Joey mumbled, scowling, and reached up to rub the bite mark. "You were thinkin' with your dick, not your head." He gasped as the brunet pushed him against the wall again. "Ahn-!"

Seto leaned his face into the blond's neck and growled. "I'm still thinking with my dick. All I want to do is take you back to _my_ den and make sure you can't walk enough to leave."

"I am _not_ leaving my home," the fire demon hissed. "I have a perfectly good pile of furs and you can fuck me just as well on those."

The brunet pursed his lips, wondering if he should lower himself to the level of common demons and fuck on fur when he could be doing it on his own bed of silks and satins. But then the blond gave him a look that made it clear that he was not leaving his home and if he wanted more sex he would be getting it here and nowhere else until the fire demon could be convinced otherwise.

Grumbling to himself, Seto hooked his arms around the blond's waist. "Fine, fine. If your pile of furs gives me a backache, I'm going to _break_ yours." He squeaked in surprise as the fire demon clenched around him, then scowled. "You're a tease."

"Well, you're a bastard," Joey muttered, leaning down to begin nibbling and biting the brunet's pointed ear. "If you're gonna be a bastard, I'm gonna be a tease."

Seto tilted his head, then grinned—a decidedly scary expression on him. "I've always found something attractive about a demon willing to tease their mate until they're in a frenzy to fuck them silly."

The fire demon paused before chuckling and clenching around him again. "Well, I've always wanted t' drive someone into a frenzy."

Seto paused, then turned to the entrance of the cave. "Block that. Some demons might become curious like I did, especially if they hear us. I'd hate to have us interrupted."

Joey hummed and continued his assault on the brunet's ear, unconsciously throwing up a wall of dark fire at the entrance of the cave. "It's at the very back. Hurry up. I'm ready to go again."

Seto began nipping and sucking at the mark he'd made on the blond's neck and sighed; he hadn't planned on mating with him, but he was surprisingly unrepentant for it.

Especially a few hours later when the fire demon was still squealing and begging for more.


	30. Faith

Author's Note: Follow-up to Thirty-Three Percent. War is a terrible thing. Time skip, also.

* * *

><p><span>Faith<span>

Joey bit his bottom lip and gripped the curtain in his hand tightly. "Ra, look at all of 'em. And your brother said only half of the troops would probably come back," he whispered, frowning. "How do we know that he's gonna be part of the half that stays on the battlefield?"

Mokuba looked out the window as well, frowning as the hundreds of uniformed soldiers continued to march out of the city. "I guess we'll just have to have faith that he'll come back. Burn a stick of incense for him every day."

They both turned to look at the altar of the brunet's patron dragon made of purest white marble. There were two smaller alters, one of obsidian and the other of jade. Seto had promised to get larger and prettier ones once the two had graduated, but they were both content with their small and simple statues.

The green and black statues had already had incense put in their claws.

"…He's praying for us to be safe while he's gone, too," Joey whispered, frowning, and reached out to trace the curve of the white dragon's cheek as the younger boy lit a stick of incense and carefully placed it between its white claws. "…I'll keep readin' so when he comes back, I'll be able t' do my homework without his help. Because he's _gonna_ come back."

"Yeah," Mokuba agreed, looking up at him and smiling. "Yeah, he will."

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto covered his wounded eye, wondering how he had been so lucky to lose just that when his comrades had been cut down on all sides of him. He lifted his glowing hand as he trained his one good eye on the enemy, letting out a snarl as he lashed a whip of lightning through the air at them.

He'd forgotten to adjust for his sight. His attack missed the group of men by two feet. One of them reached over and used the static to shock another.

If Seto hadn't been about to die, he would have laughed at the way the other man screamed in terror and then promptly turned and smacked him.

He wished he'd been more powerful. He wished he'd been able to protect his comrades—hell, his country even—better. He even wished he hadn't yet graduated, so he couldn't be drafted into the army like he had—because students that hadn't graduated were too much of a liability to both sides. He was glad that his brother and Joey were both safely kept away from the battlefields by inexperience and even a little neglect.

The leader of the group of man laughed. "Are you ready to die, dragon lover?"

Seto grit his teeth, electricity crackling over his body angrily. He only had enough energy left for one attack that wouldn't even be able to blow them off of their feet. He might able to kill one of them if he concentrated his energy into a narrow attack, but he doubted his aim and he _sincerely_ doubted they'd just stay in one place if he shot blindly into the middle of the group.

"Aw, poor _baby._ He probably just got out of school!" one of the others jeered, and the rest began to laugh.

The brunet trembled with a mixture of anger and anxiety. He would not win this fight. He couldn't even take one of them with him, as he watched all of their powers surge up—mixtures of fire and wind. They were going to burn him so there was nothing left of him except ash.

Joey and Mokuba would get no closure that way.

Setting his jaw, Seto ignored the throbbing pain from where his eye had been and the spearhead still stuck through his calf, lightning crackling louder as he let out an angry roar and charged at them. "Get the _fuck_ out of my country!"

He saw the men's faces contort from glee to terror and wondered if it was because they realized that if they attacked they would injure themselves or because they hadn't expected so much energy from a clearly injured man.

He only realized why they were afraid when a white dragon flew over him, its open maw crackling with electricity that it immediately spat at the group. As the men screamed and disappeared in the bright light, Seto stumbled to a stop, watching the dragon circle around and land in the crater that its attack had made. "…What…"

The dragon blinked its beady blue eyes at him, then turned to look over at the setting sun. _**Death.**_

The voice was loud and knocked him flat on his back as his body wracked with pain, the throbbing in his head exacerbated by the volume of it. "Guh-!"

The dragon's head came into view for a moment. _**The sun has set. But not for you.**_ The voice was still loud but he noticed a slightly feminine lilt.

Seto shuddered. "What…"

Its scaly lips twisted into a grin that should have scared him, but he felt only comfort. _**They have faith. You continue to protect them. I will continue to protect you.**_ It looked up and whined in the back of its throat._** Help.**_ It looked back down at him._** Let them.**_ It flashed its teeth again before leaping into the air, wings beating so hard that the wind pressed him harder into the ground.

The dragon roared and disappeared in a flash of lightning.

Seto stared up at where the dragon had been. _'What… just happened?'_ He became vaguely aware that he heard the sound of people in the distance. He hoped they were on his side.

Mustering all of his strength into one last attack, he shot a bolt of lightning into the air and hoped they saw it. Then, all he saw was darkness.


	31. Colors

Colors

"And what color for him?"

"Hmm. He looks like any of the colors we have on hand would look good on him."

Seto scowled and immediately reached over to grab his lover's hair. "If you make it any color but blond, I'll kill you."

The two hairdressers squeaked in terror and immediately rushed away to attend to other customers.

Joey scowled. "This is why I don't like ya comin' with me when I get my hair cut. They were just playin', Seto. They're girls. They _do_ that."

"I don't like it."

"Shut up, Seto. Gah! They've only cut one side of my hair!" the blond exclaimed, frowning, as he leaned toward the mirror. "Seto, ya don't get t' come with me anymore!"

Seto frowned. "Why?"

"Because I only have half my hair cut!" Joey wailed. He turned. "Someone please come finish my hair!" When the hairdressers ignored him, he immediately grabbed the magazine out of the brunet's hands and began hitting him with it. "GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT!"

"Gaaaah!" Seto fell out of his chair and struggled to his feet. "Stop it! Agh! Joey!"

"GET OUT SO THEY CAN FINISH CUTTING MY HAIR AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Joey roared, continuing to smack and pretty much maul him until the brunet scrambled out the door. He turned back to the room and snarled, "COME FINISH CUTTING MY HAIR!"

One of the other customers immediately shoved her own hairdresser away, toward him. "Here, just finish his hair so that man doesn't come back in and kill us!"

Joey sat back down and crossed his arms, scowling petulantly. "Don't worry. I'm never bringin' him here again."


	32. Exploration

Author's Note: Follow-up to Eternity. Enjoy?

* * *

><p><span>Exploration<span>

Seto licked the blond's neck gently and traced his fingertips over his hip. "Open your legs."

Joey blushed and jerked his head away, clenching his legs together in embarrassment. "No."

"We've been having sex for a week. You should no longer be embarrassed of showing me your body," the demon stated, scowling. "Open. Your. Legs."

The blond flinched as his mate grasped his knees and swiftly pulled him apart. "Nngh!"

"Keep them open," Seto growled, digging his claws into his skin lightly. "Or I'll spank you again."

Joey shivered. The brunet's tiered tail had already been repeatedly slapped across his ass, and he didn't think he could take it again after the spanking yesterday. "Ya get a real kick outta that, huh-!"

The demon snorted. "Of course. My tail slapping against your ass is the best sound I've heard in quite some time." He paused, then amended, "Besides your screams and moans of pleasure, anyway."

"Ngh!" Joey turned his head away again when he felt the brunet's fingers trailing between his cheeks. "Gods, you've been in there all week—"

"I'm not finished exploring your body," the brunet cut in. "I'll never be truly finished. You're a human, altered by demon potions." He stroked the blond's thigh gently. "I'll keep discovering new things that make you moan and squirm and I'll never get tired of it."

"Hah!" Hips arching up as he felt a shock of pleasure, the blond whimpered helplessly. "Wha-! You're not even touchin' inside of me an'—"

"I can make you feel pleasure even when I'm not touching you," Seto cooed, pulling his hand away from him. "Each time you move—even the smallest of twitches—you'll feel such intense pleasure that you can't help but keep moving."

"Uh!" Joey whimpered and gripped the blankets in his fists, tears filling his eyes as the demon's hands slid over his body again. "Please stop, Seto-! Please! I'm too tired-!" He shivered. "Seto! Seto, please! Stop!" Just as he thought he'd really begin to cry, the pleasing sensation abruptly ended. "Why do ya keep doin' this to me?"

"This exploration isn't just of your body," the brunet explained quietly. "I'm exploring your mind, too—your resistance, your resilience, your needs. There's nothing about you that I can't learn from touching you."

The human tilted his head, frowning, then asked, "What's my favorite color?"

Seto opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again, then paused. "…Touché."

"…'m hungry. What's my favorite food?"

The brunet grit his teeth. "_Point. Taken._"

"'nd I need a bath. What's my favorite soap?"

Seto threw his hands up in frustration. "FINE, I'M CRAP AT THE PERSONAL THINGS."

Joey tilted his head, then rolled onto his side and hummed smugly. "I was serious though. I'm hungry. Feed me."

The brunet scowled but got off of the bed and stormed out of the room, muttering about humans that didn't know what was good for them.


	33. Seeing Red

Seeing Red

Joey crossed his arms and leaned back against the couch as he watched the Kaiba brothers continue to fight, feeling slightly perturbed. Stupid Seto hadn't even played the game before, and he'd still managed to kick the blond's ass.

It hadn't taken much prodding to get Seto to play, really. Joey had accused him of being too afraid to lose and Seto had immediately risen to the challenge. All three of them had started with five lives. Seto had lost two of his lives as he figured out the controls while Joey and Mokuba had alternated attacking him and attacking each other. Once he'd figured out how to work everything, however, he'd wasted no time in dispatching Joey of the two lives he'd had left after Mokuba had finished with him.

Seto still had three lives, though, and was doing very well at keeping them, even though Mokuba had all five of his still and was a complete master of all of the attacks of all of the players. Still, like the game master Seto was, he was giving him a hell of a run for his money. It had been amusing at first, but being the fidgety person he was, Joey had soon lost interest in watching and was more than ready to play again. But, he knew the Kaiba brothers, and as fiercely competitive as they were, he knew he'd have to wait until someone won before he could play again.

…He'd be waiting for hours.

Sighing quietly, he stood. "I'm gonna go get a drink."

"'kay," Mokuba replied. Seto was too into the game to even try replying.

"…Yeah," Joey muttered, feeling ignored. He watched them fight a few moments longer, frowning, then turned and made his way out of the living room.

He wandered through the hall a few minutes, trying to kill some time because he knew that the two brothers would be going at it for a while—also because he couldn't quite remember which way the kitchen was or which door led to the bathroom. He was embarrassed to admit that he wandered past the living room more than once with absolutely no idea how the hell he'd gotten back there.

He blinked as he found himself in the entryway of the mansion, looking around slowly as he tried to figure out how he'd gotten _there._ Kaiba needed to put up a few 'you are here' signs…

Pausing by the mirror hanging in the entryway, Joey took a few minutes to examine the ornate glass surrounding it, taking in the subtle blue and green hues the glass was stained. It was pretty, he had to admit, and that was something amazing in itself. He didn't normally find things… pretty. It felt girly to him, and he was _definitely_ not girly.

That time he fainted during the haunted house ride did not count!

He heard a crow of triumph mixing in with a snarl of frustration and realized that Mokuba had probably knocked his brother off of the platform. _'Two lives left, Kaiba. Better make them count, or you'll end up a loser like me.'_

A loser. Like him.

Joey frowned as he turned his attention from the decorative frame of the mirror to the mirror itself, and then to the reflection he saw in it. He saw the bruise around his eye first, then the cut on his lip. He'd explained them away by saying he got into a fight on the way to school. He had, of course—gotten into a fight on the way to school, that is. He'd just gotten the injuries before the fight.

His dad had surprised him that morning. When he'd first been hit, he'd been too startled to do anything but immediately curl up in a ball, like he'd done as a child when his father had beaten him. That had only given the older man a better angle to kick him though, and he'd somehow managed to clip his face with his old, grubby boot.

If he wasn't such a loser, he'd have seen the attack coming. If not that, he would have been able to protect himself better instead of lying down like a dog and taking it.

Like a dog. A _loser_ dog.

Joey jerked his gaze away, growing angry with himself and with the world around him for being so _not_ loserish. Yes he knew it wasn't a word he wasn't _that_ stupid and he didn't give a flying fuck if he was using words that didn't exist! It didn't matter because he was just a stupid fucking loser that would _continue_ being a loser until the day he died!

Another crow of delight. Another snarl of dismay. One life left, and then Seto would lose to his little brother. Except it wouldn't be so bad, because he'd held out much longer than Joey had and, as he heard the triumphant 'hah!' and Mokuba's grunt of disapproval, he knew the elder brother was at least giving a run for his money. Unlike Joey, who had been beaten quite easily.

_What a fucking loser. You can't even manage to last five minutes in a stupid fucking videogame._

And on top of that, he was sure that he was going to die in an alleyway somewhere. He'd been challenged to more fights and he figured Hirutani had something to do with it, but he couldn't just go into enemy territory and get him the fuck out of the way because the police in that area had been looking out for him as if they were expecting him to do something. He was certain that he'd be caught just as off-guard by a gang as he'd been by his father that morning at some point and they'd beat him until he was little more than a pulp that had at one point been human, then leave him there to die.

Die a dog's death in some back alley as his friends worried until someone came across his body.

They'd probably think, 'what a loser. What sort of fuck-up would come into this territory without being able to protect himself?'

_You're going to die a loser dog's death, Wheeler._ He glared at his reflection again. _Because that's all you'll ever amount to. A big, fat loser._

Joey saw red.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto jerked as he heard glass shatter and turned, ignorant of the sound signifying that his character had died and his little brother had won. "What the-?"

Mokuba didn't have a moment to savor the win as he turned as well, brows furrowing together as he tried to figure out what the noise had been. As they heard more shattering, however, he gasped. "Joey!"

"God, what's he done _now?_" Seto hissed, scowling, but hurriedly got to his feet and followed the sound of the tinkling glass.

When they found him, they were stunned by what they saw. Joey had broken the mirror with his fist, and when he'd seen that there were still large shards in the frame, he'd broken those as well, splattering the walls with blood as he turned his attack on the frame, breaking the stained glass and smearing the delicate blues and greens with bright red streaks.

Alarmed, Seto reached out to grab the blond's wrists, spinning him around to face him. When he saw the younger boy's face, however, he immediately tightened his grip on his wrists, honestly terrified that Joey would beat him to death if he had the chance, even in front of his little brother.

He had never seen such pure, unadulterated rage in a single human being before, and he wondered if Joey could even tell who he was. Joey roared and snarled and squirmed angrily, his bloody fists white with how tightly they were clenched. Seto struggled to hold him at bay, somehow just _knowing_ that there would be a tragedy if he let go of his wrists.

He wasn't sure what that tragedy would be, though. Whether Joey would actually beat him to death with his bare fists, or if he'd just beat him to a blood pulp—scaring Mokuba so much that he'd never want to see his friend again, which Seto also didn't want because he knew that when it came to friends, Joey was a good one to have, if only because he would foil any attempt to kidnap or hurt his little brother because—

…Because of the hatred Joey would feel toward anyone attacking one of his friends, attacking a _child._ Because of the anger with which he would attack his opponents. Because of the power the blond had behind his fists, using it until either he or his opponent couldn't fight anymore.

He saw the rage that he'd been expecting Joey to use to protect his brother, but now it was being used against them, and he wondered what had caused the blond to fly off the handle. He glanced at the broken mirror frame. Himself? Joey had become angry because of his own reflection? Why?

Seto flinched as the blond ripped himself away and took a step back, yanking his little brother behind him protectively since he was too frozen in shock and fear to run.

Joey roared angrily, turned, and slammed his fist into a coat rack, snapping the wood in half before he stormed toward the door. As he grabbed the knob, his slick fingers slipped, and he let out a string of profanity that Seto had to admit would make any weaker man blush, even sailors, and he flinched when he realized that his little brother was hearing it as well. Finally, though, Joey managed to get the door open and stomped outside, slamming the door behind him.

Shell-shocked, the brothers could only stare, watching as a single drop of blood slid down from the doorknob and rolled over the dark wood. Finally, though, Seto turned and stared at the remnants of what had once been a very pretty, very _expensive _mirror. Had it been the cost of the mirror that pissed the blond off? No, there was no way he could have known how expensive it was.

He thought back to his original assumption. The younger teen had been angry at his own reflection. But… why?

"…S-Seto?" Mokuba looked up at his older brother, eyes wide and shaking. "What… what just happened?"

Seto took a deep breath and let it out through his nose in a long, quiet sigh. "…I don't know," he admitted, frowning. "…Maybe he was just stressed. Or something set him off, because you know anything could make him fly off the handle…" He sighed again. "…Go… do your homework, Mokuba."

The younger boy frowned and looked at the door, gray eyes trained onto the single trail of crimson on the wood. "…Okay," he replied after a moment, still confused and frightened, but certain that his brother knew what he was doing.

The brunet watched him hesitantly walk upstairs, then turned to look at the shattered glass. "…What was it that set you off, Joey?" he muttered, frowning, and bent down to pick up a shard of glass. "…What went wrong?"

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto turned in surprise as he heard a knock at the door, glancing between the business reports in one of his hands and the empty coffee cup in the other. He thought back to who was on the list to be allowed onto the property and tried to figure out just who the hell would be coming this late at night. When the knock came again, he sighed and tucked his papers under his arm, resigned to answering it himself because Roland was probably exhausted from protecting him on his recent trip to Tokyo and the maids were let off at seven.

Opening the door, he raised an eyebrow. "Wheeler?"

"Uh. Hi," the blond muttered, hunching his shoulders a little. He peeked up at him from beneath his bangs awkwardly. "Can I come in?"

"…What if I said no?" Seto asked, honestly curious.

"I'd hafta punch ya in the nose."

"…You may come in."

Stepping into the entryway, Joey's eyes darted over to where the mirror he'd broken used to hang. When he saw a decorative wreath in its place, his gaze immediately moved back to his shoes. "I, uh, would like t' apologize for last week. …Er… two weeks. …Yeah." He shrugged again. "So. Uh, I dunno how much your mirror was, but…" He pulled his right hand out of his pocket and held it out to him. "Here."

Seto blinked at him but held his hand out obediently. When the blond dumped a few frumpy bills in his hand, he blinked again, deduced that there was only about twenty-five dollars there, and immediately closed his fingers around the paper. "Thank you, mutt."

The mirror had actually cost fifteen thousand dollars (it was an antique), but he wasn't going to tell Joey that. The mutt would be incredibly annoying trying to pay him back for it when he really had no interest in the blond replacing it.

"Uh… Could ya tell Mokuba that 'm sorry? I didn't mean t' scare him," Joey added awkwardly. "…I lost my temper. I know how… _bad_ I get when I… lose it like that." He looked up at the brunet and sighed. "I didn't mean t'—You're wearin' glasses." He blinked in surprise.

The older boy sighed through his nose and turned to walk to the kitchen. "How astute of you, mutt."

The blond was still surprised. "You're sexy with glasses."

"Also astute of you, mu—what?" Seto looked back at him in confusion, expression clearly conveying that he had no idea what had just happened. "…Excuse me?"

"You bastard, even when you're nerdy, you're sexy!" Joey exclaimed, glaring at him in affront.

The brunet blinked again. "…I… Thank you?"

The younger boy scowled. "Asshole, just bein' sexy all the time. It's bad enough yer sexy when you're wearin' that fuckin' tent ya call a coat, but now yer sexy when you're wearin' glasses. That's not fair!"

"…You think I'm sexy?" Seto stared at him a little longer before his lips curved into a smirk. "Do you often notice how good I look, mutt?"

"How 'm I supposed t' help it when yer sex on legs!" the blond exclaimed helplessly.

The brunet literally _felt_ his brain shut down. "…Sex on legs?"

"Yeah." Joey frowned thoughtfully, then nodded to himself. "Yeah, that's what the girls at school called ya."

The wind was abruptly pulled from his sails. "The girls at school call me that?"

"'course." The blond shrugged. "They got a point, though. Yer sexy as hell, especially with yer glasses on." He glared at the older boy again. "Ya know how difficult ya make it for plain guys like me t' get a date?"

Seto raised an eyebrow and looked the blond up and down. His black eye had healed but had been replaced by one on the other side—darker this time, and a cut at the corner of his eye. His lip had been bruised as well, but the cut from two weeks ago had healed. …His swollen lip was giving him a pout.

He'd always had a thing for pouts.

Joey flinched a little as the brunet grabbed his hair, startled when he was yanked toward him. He mewled in confusion when he realized that his mouth was smashed against the older boy's, his bruised lower lip throbbing as Seto pulled it between his teeth. "Ngh-!"

Seto thrust his tongue into the blond's mouth and smirked a little when he gasped. Breaking the kiss, he licked his lips and smirked further when he saw the bright red blush across his cheeks. "Plain guys like you? Wheeler, you are _far_ from plain. You're just choosing the wrong girls."

"…Uh. What."

The brunet kissed him again softly, then leaned back. "Joey, why did you break that mirror?"

Joey looked away from him and frowned. "…No reason."

"You're a terrible liar, Wheeler," Seto stated firmly. "You have no reason to lie. You're not worth going out of my way to rake mud."

"…I was tired," the blond murmured, frowning. He looked down at his feet. "I was tired of losin'. I'm tired of bein' a loser. 'nd I've been in a bad mood 'cause people keep tryin' t' beat the crap outta me. 'm so tired."

The older boy stared at him for a moment before replying, "Exhaustion is something I'm familiar with. I've never punched a mirror before." He caught the blond's hand and inspected his knuckles, which still showed tiny scabs from the shattered glass. He leaned down and brushed his lips over his knuckles without a second thought, then stood up straight again and smiled. "Take a nap on the couch, Joey."

Joey blushed a little and opened his mouth to argue, but nothing came out.

Seto snorted. "You're exhausted, Joey. I've found the first act of defense of exhaustion is a good, long nap in a safe place. I'll make sure you're safe."

The blond tilted his head thoughtfully. "…Who's gonna keep me safe from you?"

"I'm far too busy to do anything to you tonight. I'm going to get another cup of coffee and continue working," the older boy replied, patting him on the head. "I'll go get you some blankets."

Joey hummed. "Well. As long as you're too busy to do anything tonight." He winked at the brunet playfully. "Maybe tomorrow night."

"Don't test me, Wheeler, that's never a safe bet."

The blond raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Do I look like the kind of guy that makes safe bets?"

Seto tilted his head slightly, eyeing him up and down, before rolling his eyes. "I have work to do, Wheeler. Please let me do it without wanting to maul you."

Joey stuck his tongue out at him but went to go sit down on the couch.

He was asleep by the time Seto came back with a blanket.


	34. Shades of Gray

Shades of Gray

Seto scowled and sighed. "Damn."

"What's wrong, dragon?" the blond asked, sitting down beside him. "What's goin' on?"

"This new spell. It's coming out all wrong."

Joey peeked into the cauldron and grimaced at the thick liquid bubbling and glorping in different shades of gray. "Wow. That is… wow." He tilted his head. "Er. Well. Maybe… Eh. Wow."

"I know. That's what Mokuba said." Seto paused. "…And Atem, too." He paused again, then covered his face. "And so did Ishizu."

"Ehm…" The blond laughed nervously. "What all did ya put in it?"

"Besides the base? A little ground up hen's teeth, some bat whiskers… I know I put in a troll tooth or two and then some gargoyle sweat."

"Hmm." Joey tilted his head and frowned. "Equal parts hen's teeth to gargoyle sweat?"

"That wasn't what the recipe called for. I'm not making a rage potion." Seto dipped his spoon into the pot to stir it, frowning when he felt the spoon grow lighter, then pulled it out in confusion. He blinked when he saw that the spoon had melted away. "…Hm. Quite caustic, isn't it?"

The younger man frowned. "What were you even trying to do?"

"…I was employed to make an aphrodisiac so strong that even dragons would react to the smallest drop."

Joey grimaced again. "Ngh… Maybe it's so strong that _only_ dragons can react to it."

Seto dropped the rest of his spoon into the cauldron and watched it sizzle away. "Perhaps you're right. Go get the dead worms for me?"

The blond stood to go fetch the worms impervious to all magic so they could consume the potion and dispose of it safely. Normally, he'd tell Seto to go get them himself or at least say please, but that potion he'd made was just way too creepy.

And gross. Reeeeally gross.


	35. Forgotten

Author's Note: Alternate-verse where Seto has cat ears and tail and creatures of his sort are treated as less than human. **:**p

* * *

><p><span>Forgotten<span>

Seto watched the dozens of people passing by and frowned, scratching his cheek lightly. _'That old lady's forgotten to put food out for me again.'_

It wasn't too surprising, though. She'd been getting on in years and was quite forgetful. Well, he'd just have to go remind her. He was, after all, quite hungry, and as a stray, he would take what he could get that wasn't dumpster food, even if it meant letting the woman pet him and all around maul him with wuvins, or whatever goo-goo-ga-ga she spouted this time.

Climbing up the fire escape, he carefully avoided the windows he knew housed only animal haters and children (he liked children, but they pulled on his tail, and he _didn't _like that). Once he reached the elderly woman's window, he scratched at the window and yowled.

The window above it opened, and the man that lived there threw an old, worn-out shoe at him. He ducked under the stairs as the man slammed the window shut, still spitting curses at him even as he moved away from the window.

Seto scowled. _What a __**dick.**__ Like you'd ever hit me anyway.'_ He moved to scratch at the window again, but then the window above opened again. He crawled back under the stairs again, just in case the man lost it and tried to climb out after him, but a younger face appeared.

The boy smiled at him. "Hey, hey, stop that. She's not gonna open for ya. She moved."

Seto rumbled quietly. _'Damn. Who's going to feed me now?'_

"I got some fried chicken," the boy offered, holding up a fried chicken breast.

The brunet started salivating just smelling it. He crept up the next flight of stairs and snatched the chicken out of his hand, gnawing on it immediately. _'Chicken has never been so filling or tasty!'_

The blond human chuckled and licked his fingers, then began sliding the window shut. "Well, see ya, kitty."

Seto didn't know what drove him to do it—he didn't really think much of humans at all—but before he knew it, he heard a deep voice raspy from disuse saying, "Seto." And, after a shocked pause, he realized that he'd been the one who said it.

The blond blinked at him in surprise before smiling bashfully. "Seto. See ya, Seto."

Seto heard purring and realized with a bit of disgruntlement that it was him; he hadn't purred in so long that he'd forgotten what it felt like. It felt… warm. Happy.

As he was currently wearing threadbare clothes and was slightly damp from the previous rain, he was far from warm and happy, and he was pissed that a silly little human with a chicken breast had had such an effect on him.

…That human had had a nice voice.

'_Humans are the reason you're on the streets, Seto. Get a grip,'_ he thought viciously, taking the steps down the fire escape two at a time and making so much noise that people started yelling out their windows again.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Seto? Seto, kitty kitty kitty!"

Seto stood up straight, eyes wide as he turned toward the entrance of the alleyway he'd been in. When he saw the blond waving at him, it took all of his self-control not to leap into the dumpster and shut the lid in embarrassment, especially when he noticed all of the other humans giving the blond funny and disgusted looks. He rumbled quietly and took a few steps back.

The blond held up a thick black sweater. "Look what I found in my closet from that old lady! She made it too big, so maybe it'll fit ya!"

His own shirt was thin and had some holes in it from being too well worn, and he'd seen snow flurries recently. Hesitantly walking toward the human, he paused, frowning, then snatched the sweater out of his hands and scampered back. He took a moment to shed his useless shirt and paused when he heard the blond gasp. When he looked up, he saw that the human was looking at him with obvious approval and a bright blush across his cheeks.

…Well, he _was_ a good-looking tom.

Seto took a moment to stretch his arms over his head and was pleased when the blond squeaked, blushed further, and scampered away.

Damn, he was purring again. He told himself it was because the sweater was warm and smelled like the elderly lady that used to feed him, but deep down he knew it was because the blond was cute and he smelled yummy when he was admiring him.

.-.-.-.-.-.

'_Cold cold cold cold cold!'_ Seto climbed up the fire escape as quietly and quickly as he could, hesitating when he got to the blond's window. There was a little plate with a sandwich on it on the windowsill, protecting it from snow, and he quickly gobbled it up. Then, he rubbed at the steam on the window and peered inside.

He saw the human—Joey, he'd learned, after stalking him for a while. He looked around nervously before beginning to rake his sharp nails over the windowsill.

Joey looked toward the window in surprise, glanced behind him, then rushed over to the window and opened it. "Here, come on. Come in."

Seto crawled through the window and purred as he rubbed his head (ears especially) on the blond's chest.

The human blushed and rushed him into his room. "Jeez, ya idiot, my dad's home! You're freezin' and—Ugh, you're _wet._ Wait here, I'll go get ya a towel."

As Joey turned and began to walk away, Seto reached out and sunk his claws into the denim on his hips. "No."

The blond yelped as he was dragged back onto the feline's lap. "_Gah!_"

Seto licked his neck with his rough tongue. "Body heat."

"Nya-! Lemme go, pervert, the last time I kept ya warm with my body I couldn't walk!" He shivered as the brunet pulled his shirt up and lifted his arms so he could pull it over his head.

Seto purred. "Not fighting." He nuzzled the blond's chest and growled. "Mate?"

"I don't feel like matin' right now." Joey turned to wrap his arms around the brunet's neck and sighed. "Maybe later, once my dad's passed out."

The feline hummed and turned to crawl under the blond's blankets, curling up on the mattress happily. "Warm."

"Hey, get your wet stuff off," the blond complained, reaching out to help him strip off the wet turtleneck. He reached under the blankets to help him pull off his pants as well. "Gosh, there's no point if ya get the bed cold and wet, too." He turned to hang the brunet's clothes over a clothesline he'd put up, frowning as he moved them nearer to the space heater but not so close that they were in danger of setting the apartment on fire.

Seto began purring louder as the human stripped his pants off and crawled into bed with him. "Mine."

Joey muttered something he assumed was vulgar but cuddled up against him. "Go t' sleep, Seto. You're tired."

"Mine."

The blond giggled a little as the feline began kneading his side, curling his tail around his thigh as he began licking his hair with his rough tongue. "Seto, ya don't need t' groom me. I took a shower."

"_Mine,_" Seto stated, shooting him a glare, before returning to grooming his hair. "Mine…"

Joey rolled his eyes and sighed, then shrugged and cuddled up against him. "If ya really hafta, Seto, ya weirdo."


	36. Dreamer

Dreamer

Joey gasped and sat up quickly. "Damn. I'm dreaming."

Seto curled his arm around the blond's waist and pulled him closer. "Mm, calm down."

"Uhn, lemme go, moneybags—"

"No, I don't think so." The older boy smirked slightly. "It took a lot of energy to drag your consciousness to my dream world. I refuse to let you leave until I'm damn good and ready."

Joey shivered as he felt the brunet's fingers trailing over his side. "Ah…"

"And your consciousness _wants_ to be here, doesn't it?" Seto cooed, rolling on top of him. He saw the fight still in the blond's eyes and chuckled. "Just in case you're still unsure, let's make it a tad easier on me, mm?"

"Gah!" Joey jumped as something slid around his wrists and looked up, squeaking nervously as silk ribbons wrapped around his arms and dragged them up to the wrought-iron headboard. He bit his bottom lip as another ribbon slid around his ankle and dragged it upward, shivering when he felt his leg being rested over the brunet's shoulder. "God, you're really doin' this-!"

Seto turned and licked the inside of the blond's thigh before dragging his nails over it, grinning as the younger boy shuddered with pleasure. "Enjoy, little puppy."

"_GAAAAAAAH!_"

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey sat up abruptly and ran a hand through his sweaty hair, trembling as he remembered the way the brunet had fucked him and how he'd been made to come multiple times before he'd been allowed to return to his body.

He grimaced as he saw the mess he'd made of his sheets and underwear, still shivering at the sensations he remembered. Then the hickeys and bruises began appearing on his skin, manifesting from his memories. He really hoped no one asked about the bruises around his wrists. The silk had been soft enough, but he'd tugged so wildly at it while he'd come that he'd caused the bruises himself.

Ugh. If anyone asked, he was doomed.

He just couldn't believe that he'd been captured by a Dreamer. They were rare, almost extinct.

And one had captured him, mauled him so deliciously that he couldn't wait to fall asleep the next night.

Perhaps it was because he felt well-rested while at the same time satisfied. He felt _awesome_. He wouldn't mind waking up that awesomely every day. He could easily get used to it.

Falling back onto the pillows, he sighed quietly. "Wow…"

He just had to make sure he always fought at the beginning so Seto wouldn't think he wanted it. Seto didn't need his ego stroked _that _much.


	37. Mist

Author's Not: Another role reversal, anyone? **:3**

* * *

><p><span>Mist<span>

Seto shivered as he stepped through the thick mist shrouding the road. He felt cold, but not because of the weather. It felt like he'd just stepped into someone's territory. And that someone was dangerous.

The fog swirled around him and gripped him like fingers. He couldn't even see his hand in front of his face. Deciding that his target was, instead, following him, he stopped, eyes glowing as he snarled, "_Show yourself!_"

He heard a low chuckle as the fog began swirling around him more urgently, its chilly touch softening almost like a lover's caress. Then, the mist abruptly disappeared.

He glared at the blond standing before him but didn't allow himself to flinch or step back. He would not be that weak. "So _you're_ the nymph that keeps attacking the men of this village."

The blond tilted his head, blinking innocently. "I wouldn't call it _attacking._" His lips twisted into a smirk that was anything but innocent. "At least, _I_ don't call bein' chased around by the men of that village attackin'. Unless ya mean the way _they_ maul _me._"

"Either way, it doesn't matter. I don't get paid if I don't kill you," Seto spat, hand glowing with the same pure white fire his eyes had in the mist. "Stay still, and maybe I'll make your death swift."

"Are ya sure there's nothin' I can do t' change your mind?" the nymph asked, pursing his lips. "I'd hate t' hafta kill ya when ya have a body that nice."

Seto remembered the way the mist had caressed him and blushed little. "You were feeling me up with your mist!"

The blond smiled and shrugged. "Guilty as charged!" He yelped as white fire was flung at him and leapt out of the way. "Gah! Jeez, ya don't hafta be such a prude!" He smirked playfully. "I think ya liked it! _GAH!_" He dove out of the way of another handful of fire and winced as the tree behind him took the brunt of the attack—not killing it, not even damaging too much, but enough that the dryad would be pissed at him for letting it happen.

Turning his attention back to the human, he scowled. "Listen, pal, before ya throw anymore of that stuff around, I think ya might wanna consider the consequences!" When the brunet paused, still looking angry but willing to hear him out before he burnt down the whole damn forest, he continued, "If I die, that little _lake_ that they get all of their drinking water from dries up!"

Seto tilted his head, frowning. "Dries up?"

"That is _my_ lake. It is _my _water, not theirs! I just let 'em use it!" The nymph glared at him and stood up straight. "Is it _my_ fault I just want a little compensation once in a while? It's not my fault that every man in that stupid town wants a piece of me! I'm an _excellent_ lover, asshole!"

Seto also straightened up out of his offensive stance and sighed, scowling. "Of course. And to keep their wives and girlfriends from learning that they come out willingly, they want you dead."

"Well if that's the thanks that I get for keepin' 'em alive they can go back t' fuckin' their women and leave me the hell alone!" the nymph exclaimed. "Tell 'em I'm not dead but I won't bother 'em anymore, jeez!"

The brunet raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yeah, I always knew humans were too much work anyway." The blond scuffed his toes over the dirt for a moment before shrugging. "I'll just find a satyr or somethin'. They're always willin', I guess." He paused before peering up at the brunet hopefully. "Unless _you_ wanna—"

Seto immediately turned and began walking away. "No."

"Oh, come _on!_" the nymph exclaimed, frowning, and padded after him. "I'm attractive. I'm a givin' lover. Ya look like you could use the release—"

"No."

"UGH! WHY NOT!" the blond roared, stomping his foot in frustration.

Seto shrugged. "Not in the mood."

The nymph gaped at him for a moment, stunned, then scowled and ran around him, holding his hands up to stop him but not touching him for fear that the brunet would grab him and burn him in defense. "You're sayin' no because you're not in the mood?"

Seto scowled. "I just said that, didn't I? Are you _deaf?_"

The blond flinched a little, then clasped his hands behind his back and scuffed the ground again. "…Can I try and _get_ ya in the mood?"

"No," the human repeated, then went to move around him.

"GAH! Come on! I have a nice ass and I'm sure your dick would be happy t' be inside me!" the nymph exclaimed, stomping his foot again.

Seto rolled his eyes and sighed, trying to hold his temper in. "My dick is not a sentient being. I'm sure I'd enjoy having my dick inside _anything,_ but I don't want a loose lover and I doubt you'd stick around just because I want you to."

"I am _not_ loose. I have the tightest ass from here to—"

"THAT'S NOT WHAT THE MEANS!" Seto spun toward him, eyes glowing with annoyance. "Being loose means you put out for anyone and I want someone who is loyal to me and me alone. Please just leave me alone."

The nymph frowned, then circled around him and held his hands up again. "Wait, what if I promised that you'd be the only one I slept with? I don't wanna sleep with anyone from that town anymore and satyrs are bad lovers. If… if I promised to only be your lover, would ya have sex with me?"

The brunet sighed again, glaring at him for quite a few minutes before repeating, "_No._"

"Come _on!_ I promised I'd only sleep with _you_ and that's a big deal for a nymph!" The blond sighed as the human circled around him and continued walking, turning to watch him go. "…Ya probably got a small dick anyway," he mumbled petulantly, crossing his arms.

Seto froze mid-step, eyebrow twitching, before he ground out, "…What did you just say?"

The nymph huffed and turned his back on him. "Ya probably got a small dick!"

Fire whizzed past his head.

He squeaked and flinched, eyes wide as he cringed. Swallowing thickly, he turned, shivering as he took in the brunet's livid expression. "…U-um—"

"If you want it so bad, fine," the brunet hissed. "You just better hope that I don't burn you to ash as I do it."

"Uh! That's okay! If you're really not in the mood, I wouldn't wanna pressure ya or anything," the nymph replied nervously.

Seto growled. "What's your name?"

The blond bit his bottom lip, hesitantly whispering, "Joey."

"_**Joey.**_"

Joey yelped as he felt something heavy suddenly clamp onto his wrists and ankles and looked down, horrified when he saw heavy metal shackles that seemed to be made of silver or platinum. "Wha—how—I—"

"Magicians like me can control creatures by knowing their true names. Nymphs are no different from dogs," Seto spat, glaring at him. "And, just like a puppy, you didn't know when to quit—you just wanted to play."

"…I hafta go now!" the blond exclaimed, turning to scamper away, but then the shackles felt ten times heavier and he stumbled and fell to the ground. "Ugh!"

"But I thought you _really_ wanted someone to fuck you," the brunet reminded him, still looking angry as he flipped the blond over onto his back. He paused, then scowled and roared, "HOW THE HELL ARE YOU STILL HORNY!"

"…'cause strong, dominant humans with temper problems turn me on," Joey whispered nervously.

Seto stared at him for a moment before slamming his fist into the ground beside his head. "You are disgusting!"

The nymph bit his bottom lip for a few seconds before offering, "…Would it make ya feel better if ya spanked me?"

It took all of Seto's self-control to keep from tearing his hair out. "No, it would not make me feel better!"

The blond blinked at him, then tilted his head. "…How do ya know it won't?"

"I'LL KILL YOU!"


	38. Burning

Author's Note: Direct follow-up to Mist. You're welcome.

* * *

><p><span>Burning<span>

"Ah-!" Joey whimpered as he sat up, back aching like it would have if he'd slept with a clumsy satyr. He flinched as he felt a burning sensation along parts of his skin and bit his bottom lip. Seto really _had_ been angry enough to burn him as he fucked him. He trailed his fingers over a burn on his arm, flinching at it agitated the wound but unable to help a sigh of relief as the water he trickled there soothed the burning.

Then the burning flared up again.

He yelped and clapped his hand over the burn, the pressure somehow helping to ease his pain for a moment as the burning sensation calmed. Lifting his hand hesitantly, he bit his bottom lip. His purified healing water hadn't healed the burn. He swallowed thickly, then scowled, focusing his powers on the shackle on his wrist. Seto hadn't been the first magician that had tried to capture him by knowing his true name, and he was very good at escaping.

The shackle began to open. He focused harder on it, got it to open a little further, but then it stopped moving completely. He tried to struggle to get it opening again but realized with a horrified start that Seto was much more powerful than any of the other magicians that had tried to control him.

Now Seto owned him. He could continue to burn him and hurt him and he couldn't do anything to stop him.

All because he was a horny nymph that had wanted a fuck.

Joey has always been proud of being a nymph and everything that entailed, but suddenly, he hated his sex-drive with every fiber of his being.

Turning onto his side, he sniffled quietly as the movement aggravated his wounds. He hugged himself and bit his bottom lip again, nibbling it between his teeth a little before he set his jaw and let his eyes drift shut, mindless of the tears that set down his cheeks at the action. He'd gotten himself into this. Humans only lived fifty or sixty years. He could wait for the human to die to be free again. As long as he didn't burn him away before that, anyway.

He flinched as he felt the brunet's hand on his hip, fingers tracing over one of the burns that refused to be healed. He bit his tongue to keep from keening in pain. He wouldn't give him that satisfaction.

Seto traced his fingers over the burn and watched the blond shudder in pain, sighing quietly as he took in all of the burns he'd left on the nymph's body. He knew he shouldn't have done it, but he'd been angry. He'd lost his temper and had taken it out on the nymph's body.

He pulled the blankets up to cover the blond's body and sighed again when he flinched. "Does it hurt?"

The nymph shook his head and curled up a little more, trying to make himself the smallest target possible.

Seto frowned and sat up to look at him. "You're lying to me. I _know_ it hurts." When the blond shook his head again, he saw wetness on his cheeks. It didn't take a great leap of logic to realize they were tears. Reaching out to brush his hair out of the brown eyes, he couldn't help a flinch of his own when the blond frantically ducked from his hand.

"How long are ya gonna make me stay here? Can I go home? I'm gettin' dry."

The brunet frowned and leaned his head on his hand. "I'm quite aware that you don't need to be _in_ water to live, Joey."

Joey flinched at the sound of his name. Seto had only used it so far to tighten or weigh down his shackles or make him twist into uncomfortable positions. He squeezed his eyes shut in preparation for whatever his name would do to him this time and gripped his hands into fists.

Seto tilted his head in surprise, then reached down to touch his arm. "Joey—" When the blond cringed from him, he frowned. "What's wrong, Joey?"

_**What's your name?**_

…_**Joey.**_

_Joey._

Seto gasped quietly. "Oh." He frowned and reached down to cup the blond's cheek, ignoring the way he flinched, and forced him to look up at him. "I'm sorry. I was in a bad mood yesterday. I shouldn't have done that to you, _**Joey.**_"

Joey flinched, eyes wide as he waited to feel his shackles grow heavy or hot or twist him into some uncomfortable position. When nothing of the sort happened, he blinked, confused. "You… Ya didn't…"

"I'm sorry I hurt you yesterday. I should have just walked away." The brunet smiled awkwardly. "You bring out the worst in me, Joey. I never waned to think I was capable of hurting someone like this. I'm sorry I did this to you. –I have a salve I could use for your burns. It will heal them a little, or at least take some of the sting off."

"…I'm okay," Joey whispered, brows furrowing together. "It just burns a little when I move."

"Well, I would assume so; they're burns." Seto sat up straight and slid out of his bed. "I'm putting that salve on them anyway. It'll help."

"…Okay." The blond began to sit up and flinched as his back throbbed. "Gods, you're not even as big as the satyrs-!"

The human sighed and turned his gaze away, looking annoyed. "Yeah. Of course."

"…But the sex was much better with you," the nymph mumbled, looking thoughtful. "They're always such big oafs when we have sex, and they only care about gettin' themselves off. You're smaller, but you're better at usin' your dick." He blinked as the brunet let out a sound of obvious disgruntlement, then turned an annoyed look at him. "All humans are smaller than satyrs. It's nothin' t' get upset about. Besides, you're bigger than all the men in this stupid town."

Seto was caught between pride and anger—pride that he was bigger than the cowardly men he'd been hired by, and anger that the blond had slept with enough men to know it. But, instead of losing his temper again, he merely walked over to the blond and slapped some salve onto the burn on his arm.

Joey yelped. "OW!"

…Okay. Maybe he lost his temper a little bit.


	39. Out of Time

Author's Note: Joey is a certain breed of alien that jumps from world to world and doesn't stay in one place for more than six or seven years. Just a little explanation since I left that vague. OTL Why am I so into role reversals all of the sudden?

Out of Time

Joey gripped his hands into fists and swallowed thickly. "Are you sure, sir?"

The elderly man sighed. "Yes, Joey, I'm afraid I am. You're simply out of time."

"But I like this world. It's fun. I've made lots of new friends, and—"

"You knew when you got here that you wouldn't be able to stay forever. You have two days to say your goodbyes," the man sighed. "Then you'll be moved to a different world."

Joey gritted his teeth angrily. He'd known he wouldn't be able to stay. That was why he'd tried so hard not to make friends. When he had anyway, he knew he'd have to leave them. He just didn't think it would be after they'd been through so much together. He'd gotten attached to this world and he didn't want to leave.

"…Is there any way I could stay?" he asked after a moment. "Is there anything I can do that will allow me to stay?"

The old man stroked his beard and frowned thoughtfully. "I suppose if you found a mate. But only a dominant mate. If you claim another as a submissive mate, you'll still have to leave—and bring them with you. But I sincerely doubt you'll find a human to—" He blinked when he found the blond gone, then huffed. "Kids these days."

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Mr. Kaiba, there's a boy here to see you. He says it's urgent."

Seto glared at the woman poking her head into his office. "Is it Mokuba?"

"No, sir."

"Is it Yugi asking for a duel?"

"Well, no sir, but—"

"Then I'm busy. Tell him to get lost."

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Sir, remember what you told me about deciding whether someone's important enough to speak to or not?"

"…Vaguely," Seto muttered. He knew what was coming. "Fine. Send him in, then."

She smiled brightly. "Of course, sir."

Seto rolled his eyes and mumbled a curse under his breath before he returned his gaze to the door. When he saw the familiar blond stroll in, he stood, immediately offended; he shifted into a defensive stance so he could protect himself if the blond lost his temper for any reason and attacked him. "How did you even get up here?"

"Not important," Joey replied, waving his hand. "Tell me, Kaiba. Am I attractive enough for you t' fuck me on your desk?"

Seto gaped at him for a few minutes, then closed his mouth and stood up straight. "Why?"

"Because I am willin' t' drop my pants if you are."

The brunet tilted his head, frowning. "…You… _do_ remember who you're talking to, right?"

Joey turned his gaze away, shrugging carelessly as he went to go stand in front of the window, hips jutting to one side as he took in the view. "Of course. Nice view. Betcha can see everything from here." He looked up to the sky and smiled. "Hmm. Ya can almost see the stars."

Seto frowned as he smelled something—something sweet, but spicy—and he _liked_ it. Suddenly, he was acutely aware of the curves of the blond's hips, the way his hair shined in the moonlight, how he had unashamedly come up and asked for sex. He was incredibly attractive right now and he sort of wanted to take the blond up on his offer.

Joey turned from the window and tilted his head, eyes twinkling with a sort of mischief that the brunet had never seen before. "Ya shouldn't work such long hours, Kaiba." His lips curved into a playful smile. "Your secretary's gone home for the night. She told me she was leavin' when she let me in."

Seto licked his lips unconsciously as he began toward him. "Is that so? And what's to keep me from working long hours?"

"I can think of some things…" the blond answered, biting his bottom lip and giggling playfully as the older boy circled around him and grabbed his hips to press up against his back. "I think ya know what one of those things is…!"

The brunet leaned his face against the smaller teen's smooth neck and moaned as he took in the sweet-spicy-yum scent. "Oh, I think I do know that one thing…"

"And you can do it anytime ya want…" Joey added, purring when the brunet's hips jerked into his. "Mm! Any_where_ ya want, too. _Ooh!_" He yelped as the older boy slid his hand from his hip to his crotch and squeezed, mewling helplessly. "Gods Kaiba your hand's big!" He shuddered. "Oh gods I wanna feel your fingers inside me before ya fuck me Kaiba _please_ please please!"

Seto slid his other hand back to press between his cheeks, fingertips finding his entrance through his pants and pressing at it through the fabric quite roughly. "I haven't said yes yet. What if I'm just teasing you before I send you on your way?"

"I've pictured ya as a tease but I don't think you're so unselfish that you'd get yourself so horny and then send your warm body away," the blond gasped, reaching back to grab the human's hair. "Oh gods Kaiba you're gonna make me come in my pants!"

"That would be a shame, wouldn't it?" Seto spun him around and slid his knee between the blond's legs, chuckling quietly when the younger boy began to hump against him. He reached down and grabbed his cock. "Don't come until I'm inside you, okay?"

Joey whimpered and shuddered against him. "Gods ya really are a tease." He reached down to unbutton his pants and whimpered as the brunet's hand immediately dove down his underwear as soon as he'd slid the zipper down. "Uh! Damn!" He threw his head back as the other hand quickly joined it, hips shaking as the brunet's hands immediately went to work to turn him into a puddle of goo. "Uuuuhn…"

"The paperwork on my desk is a little too important to have sex on it. Maybe some other time. But I do have a little bedroom that I'll stay in when I have to work late. How would you like to make that bed such a mess so that even a slut would be ashamed to look at it?"

Joey let his head loll back on the brunet's shoulder. "If I give ya a blowjob will ya come on my face?"

Seto froze, startled, then groaned and grabbed the blond's hips again, pressing against him harder. "_Yes._ I'll do anything you want as long as you continue to be a filthy little slut."

The blond mewed. "Yeeeah, I can handle that. Nyee!" He was promptly thrown over the older boy's shoulder. He couldn't say he wasn't pleased, though.

Everything had gone according to plan, after all.

.-.-.-.-.-.

He probably should have felt bad about deceiving the brunet. He just… couldn't bring himself to feel anything but happy.

He didn't need to leave Earth now. He could stay. He'd found someone to be his dominant mate. He would be able to stay with his friends now.

And Seto wasn't bad in the sack, either.

Joey turned to look at the brunet and frowned a little as he finally felt a tiny inkling of guilt. Seto didn't know he was his mate. Seto just thought he was in it for sex. And, while the sex had been excellent, Joey knew that Seto probably would get tired of him eventually. Joey had seen other mated couples separate for lengthy amounts of time, but he was certain that Seto would break it off completely.

He knew that if he got no physical or emotional attention from him for longer than a few years, he would die. However, when he weighed that next to the two days he would have had, he decided he was okay with his decision. Seto never had to know they'd mated. He would continue to have sex with him until he was tired of him and then end it. He'd never have to know who—what—Joey was.

Joey told himself he was okay with that, because it was entirely his fault he was in that position anyway.


	40. Knowing How

Author's Note: I am such a pervert. **:|**

* * *

><p><span>Knowing How<span>

"How am I even supposed to please you?" Seto asked, frowning, as the blond bounced on his bed. "I feel like I'm taking advantage of you."

Joey looked up at him and tilted his head, smiling innocently. "Oh, who cares about knowin' how t' do it! You'll figure it out!"

The brunet scowled, disgruntled. "_I'll figure it out?_"

"…Was that wrong? That was probably wrong. Lemme think." The blond grabbed his head and sighed, frowning in confusion. "We'll… um. Hmm." He looked up at the older boy and frowned. "I don't know how t' say what I mean!"

Seto sighed and covered his face.

It was not the first time the blond had been unable to express what he was thinking or feeling. He was used to expressing it with whines and whimpers and coos. He wasn't used to making words out of his thoughts. He was a _dragon._ He used his body or the most basic of sounds to get his points across to other dragons. They were vague. That's how they functioned.

Joey had insulted a lot of people by being vague.

"…Let's just… use our hands and mouths tonight. We'll mate after we're more comfortable," he finally suggested, sitting down beside him.

A high-pitched, sad whine escaped the blond's throat. "Did I turn ya off with what I said? I'm _sorry!_" He reached out to grab the human's shirt and frowned. "Ya want me t' strip for ya? Ya think I'm cute when I do that wiggly dance I saw the prostitutes doin'."

Seto sighed again. "No, Joey, you really don't need to—"

"Would ya like it if I touched myself? Ya like when I play with my nipples or jack myself off or put my fingers inside me!" The blond wrung his hands together nervously. "Seto, I really wanna mate with ya. I'm sorry I turned ya off. You could spank me. I like spankin'."

"I really don't feel like—" the brunet began, then scowled. "How do you know you like spanking, Joey? Who has spanked you?"

The dragon-turned-human blushed brightly. "Uh—I mean—that is t' say—"

Seto let out a rumble that he didn't realize sounded like an angry, dominant dragon. "_Joey._"

Joey squeaked anxiously, body throbbing appreciatively at the tone, then whimpered in embarrassment and turned, twisting his tail around into a slightly awkward position. He bit his bottom lip and squeezed his eyes shut before he slapped his tail against his right cheek. "Ngh!"

He jerked his hips forward and whimpered again, smacking his other cheek just as hard. "Ooh!" He shuddered and covered his mouth, muffling another whimper as he heard the brunet breathe in sharply. "I-I just thought it was somethin' t' do while I was bored, but when I realized how much I liked it, I had t'—Hnn…!"

The human swallowed thickly and reached out to grab his hips, dragging the blond onto his lap as he sat down. "Damn. Spanking you might actually make me feel better. But I'm torn between doing it myself or having you continue to do it." Seto paused, then smirked and whispered, "Have you ever made yourself come from spanking, Joey?"

Joey blushed. "I-I've never _tried_ t' do it, but I'm sure if I spanked myself long enough and hard enough, I'll—"

"—Make yourself come like a little bitch?" The brunet snorted. "You're already wet." He twisted the dragon around so he was facing him, chests and pelvises pressing tightly together, before he smirked. "Keep spanking yourself, Joey."

Joey mewed and hid his face in the brunet's shoulders, body trembling with each slap. "Uhn! Uh! Seto-! Huh…!" He squeaked as the human's hand slid up his shirt and caught one of his nipples between his fingers. "Ngh-! Seto…!" He gasped as the brunet's other hand joined in, pinching and pulling his nipples almost painfully. "Uhn! Ah! I-! I! _AH!_"

Seto watched the blond's eyes widen sightlessly and smirked as the dragon sagged against him. "That was pretty amazing." He released the blond's hardened nipples and instead slid his hands down to grasp his ass, squeezing each cheek just hard enough that he mewed in discomfort. "Wow. I think I should have you spank yourself with your tail more often." He listened to the blond grumble for a moment before adding, "Then again, maybe I'll tie your tail up and spank you myself."

Joey blushed brightly and squeaked. "Shut up. If we're not gonna mate, I'm gonna go bathe and change into somethin' clean." He squealed when the brunet gave his cheeks another squeeze. "Seto!"

"Maybe I'll help you bathe," Seto suggested, biting his neck lightly. "And maybe we'll skip getting you into something clean so I can mate with you in bed."

The blond sat up straight, smiling brightly. "Seto, did I turn ya back on? Ya wanna mate with me again?"

The human chuckled at the wording, as if he could be flipped on and off like a light switch, but that was Joey. He still had difficulty with words and he wasn't entirely tempted to correct him this time, just because he was so cute. "Yes, you turned me back on."

"Let's just skip the bath altogether then and mess the bed!" Joey suggested cheerfully. He paused, then frowned. "…Mess _up_ the bed?"

"Mess the bed is fine, considering what I will be doing to you shortly," Seto replied, smiling, before his lips curved into a smirk. "Who cares about knowing, though? You'll figure it out eventually."

Ignoring the fact that the human had used his own words against him, the blond squealed excitedly, too happy to get annoyed. "Let's do it let's do it let's do it!"

"Calm down, Joey. If you get too excited, you might hurt both of us."

Joey gasped quietly. "I'd never wanna hurt ya, Seto. Would it be easier if ya tied my wrists t' my wings and wrapped my tail around your waist?"

Seto squeaked, torn between being turned on and amused. Maybe, if Joey hadn't been so serious, it would have been kinky. Sighing quietly, he cupped the blond's cheeks. "No. Just calm down. We'll take it slowly and go from there, okay?"

Joey nodded quickly. "Yeah! Real slow!" He wiggled impatiently. "Hurry up and slow then!"

The brunet couldn't help another chuckle. "Alright, alright. Calm down and don't dig your claws into me too much."

Any answer he might have been given was then muffled by his mouth smashing against the blond's.


	41. Fork in the Road

Fork in the Road

Seto glanced at the blond bouncing beside him, then back at the signs, sighing quietly through his nose. "Which way is it, then?"

Joey looked up at him in surprise, then smiled brightly and shrugged. "Don't know!"

The brunet barely kept from throttling him. "You said you'd memorized the directions!"

"…I don't remember there bein' a fork in the road in the directions I was given," Joey murmured, scratching his head.

Seto roared in frustration. "I'm beginning to believe that you don't really want me to get married to this witch, Joey, which makes no sense to me considering the lengths you went to just to get me to agree to this!"

The blond looked down at his feet and pulled at his shirt nervously. "Well, I had t' pretend t' want ya t' come because she sent her crows t' watch me. I know they're gone now." He looked up at the brunet and frowned. "She plans t' kill ya and steal your powers. I only followed her orders because she… she's got her crows on my sister. If I didn't bring ya back, she was gonna have them peck my sister's eyes out. The healer just fixed him, and she was so happy t' get her sight back, I didn't want that t' happen."

"…So you were going to sacrifice me to save your sister?" Seto asked thoughtfully. "I should kill you for that, but now I'm intrigued. Well—"

Joey squeaked as the older boy grabbed his hair and yanked his head back. "Eek!"

"—If you're so worried about your sister, lead me to this witch. Now that I know what this woman plans on doing, I can be prepared and kill _her_ instead and take her powers for my own. If you'd be so kind as to show me the way, please," the brunet suggested, smiling in a way that dripped poison.

The younger boy swallowed nervously. "Y-you're kinda scarin' me-!"

Seto's smile didn't move an inch. "Good. Now, which way?"

Joey swallowed again, then hesitantly pointed down the left fork. "That way."

"Hmm, thank you, Joey," the brunet replied, patting him on the head, before he began walking down the left fork. "Come on. You're the one that knows the way, not me."

The younger boy whimpered but followed him down the dirt road. Suddenly, he regretted telling the brunet anything about the witch.

She wasn't nearly as scary as this guy was and he'd already been told by him point blank at the beginning that he'd rather fuck him than fuck the witch. Ever.

And when Seto looked back at him and smirked, licking his lips, Joey whimpered again, because he was kind of sexy when he did that.


	42. Start

Start

"Could one of ya please start?" Joey asked in annoyance. "Seriously, this is gettin' ridiculous."

Seto and Yami glared at each other, both stating, "Him first."

"…FUCK EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS!" Joey grabbed the chess set and promptly threw it at the wall. "IT'S A GAME OF CHESS, NOT THE END OF THE WORLD!"

Seto gaped. "My chess set!"

"I will break every chess set you own and that includes your personal king," the blond hissed, glaring at him. "And the pawns that go with it."

"…Oh."

"I'm gonna go get a milkshake and fries. Ya better have a game started by the time I get back or I'm gonna rip ya apart," he added, then stood up straight, scowling. "Come on, Yug'. I'll buy ya a hamburger."

Yugi blinked but followed him obediently. "Thanks, Joey, but I can buy my own—_Eep._" Swallowing thickly as the blond turned a sharp glare on him, he chuckled nervously. "Thank you for your generous offer, Joey."

Joey huffed. "That's what I thought."

Once the two had left, Yami looked at the brunet and frowned. "What did he mean by your personal king and the pawns that go with it?"

Seto flinched and crossed his legs. "Er… Nothing."

Yami stared at him for a few moments before he gasped in horror. "_No._"

"…I'm sure if he didn't like the sex so much, he would have done it already."

"He's really that crazy?"

Instead of answering, the brunet stood. "I'll just go grab another chess set then."

Yami sank down in his seat. He suddenly had very serious thoughts of running from this game. Running and only looking back to make sure he'd gotten far enough away that Joey couldn't find him.


	43. Nature's Fury

Nature's Fury

Seto opened the door and was immediately bombarded by sleet. "GAH!" He slammed the door shut, then sighed and leaned against it, sliding down to sit on the ground. "…You're still angry, then?"

Lightning flashed across an otherwise clear sky.

Seto flinched. "Yeah. Still angry."

He looked down at the large bouquet of roses in his hand. He hadn't realized that the weather god—so close to humans—had become so enamored with the idea of anniversaries. He'd only learned when Joey had pranced into their room and happily asked him what day it was.

He'd answered Tuesday. That had been a very, very big mistake.

Seto had never really liked humans (as god of the dead, he saw the worst parts of humans—desperation and rage), but this had just given him even more reason to completely loathe them.

He hadn't even known what an anniversary was. And when Joey had irately told him it was their first year anniversary since they'd gotten together, he'd only said, "What?"

He'd been chased out of the bedroom with sleet, hail, and snowballs. And then Joey had continued to give him his own version of a cold shoulder.

He didn't like being cold, so he'd been looking into how humans celebrated their anniversaries. He thought it was stupid, but he'd learned that a lot of things the blond liked were stupid, so he swallowed his pride and went with it.

Seto tilted his head a little, then eased the door open again, just a few inches. He immediately heard ice and sleet hammering the door, so he carefully eased the bouquet inside, just far enough to the side that the flowers weren't ripped to shreds. He grimaced as the ice hit the door harder. He'd been _sure_ that the flowers were something humans gave on anniversaries.

He blinked as he heard the ice storm against the door taper off, then the bouquet being pulled from his hand. He wondered if this was good or bad.

The door creaked open a few seconds later. Seto felt his heart sink a little.

Joey was soaking wet, hair and robes plastered to his body as he sniffled and looked up at him with red, swollen eyes. "I know ya really don't think much of humans, Seto, but the least you could do is humor me when I find somethin' about 'em t' like."

Seto frowned and looked down at his feet for a moment. Joey had liked humans more than he had, even if they still annoyed him.

He sighed quietly, then lifted the box of chocolates he'd obtained (stolen) from a human store. "I got you a big box of chocolates with different fillings. Humans do that when they celebrate things like this."

The blond looked down at the box in his hands, then looked up at the taller god and smiled, more tears filling his eyes. "Oh, Seto."

Seeing the raincloud forming above the blond's head, Seto frowned. "I thought this was good, why are you raining?"

"Rain isn't always sad, ya idiot," Joey whispered, smiling, as he slid his arms around the brunet's neck. "Sometimes it's a good thing, Seto." He set the bouquet on the nearby table and kissed him gently. "Happy anniversary, Seto."

Seto placed the box on the table and slid his arms around his waist. "Happy anniversary, Joey." He kissed him gently. "I'll do better for next year's anniversary."

"Okay. Thank you, Seto." Joey kissed him a few more times before nuzzling his neck and lifting his legs to hook over his hips. "Seto, take me t' the bed. I missed you."

Seto thought about commenting that it wasn't _his_ fault he'd been bombarded by ice every time he came into the room, then decided it wasn't worth being smacked.


	44. At Peace

Author's Note: Follow-up to Out of Time.

* * *

><p><span>At Peace<span>

"_I should probably get married. It's what everyone is expecting, and I do need an heir to the company," Seto commented, playing with strands of the blond's hair._

"_Oh." Joey blinked slowly. "…What does that mean for us, then?"_

"_Well, I can't really risk looking like a player and date two people at once. And this was all just sex, wasn't it? So we'll just go our separate ways."_

_Joey sighed again. "Oh. I see. Yeah, alright." He looked up at the brunet and smiled awkwardly. "One more time for the road then?"_

_Seto raised an eyebrow. "…I suppose that wouldn't hurt."_

Joey stared up at the ceiling and sighed. He'd known this was going to happen. In fact, he was surprised that it lasted as long as it had—seven years. They had been very happy years, and tomorrow would make it ten years longer than he would have spent if he hadn't mated.

He was just… dying now.

Seto was engaged. He was glad that his mate had found someone to be with. Someone politically correct. Someone that wasn't male.

He would have gladly born Seto a child, but Seto didn't know what he was, and he really didn't want to explain that he'd done something so serious as mate with him for life without him knowing it. He was sure Seto would have kicked him to the curb even faster for trapping him in something so permanent without his knowledge.

He glanced at the phone as it began to ring, wondering if he should answer it, but he just felt way too tired. He'd save his strength for something more important.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto frowned as the blond's phone went to voicemail, placing his phone back in its cradle. Mokuba had told him that Joey's health had been declining. However, when he looked up the blond's medical records, wondering if it had been because he couldn't afford some surgery, he'd found no records at all. But if he was so sick, why hadn't he seen a doctor?

He had ended their relationship, but he still felt some sort of attachment to him. After all, they'd been lovers for years. Just because they didn't sleep together anymore didn't mean he didn't care about him.

He sighed quietly and stood, frowning. "Mokuba, I'm going out."

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey stared at the food he'd left on his bedside table with what felt like the intensity of a thousand suns. He wanted it so bad. So, using the last of his strength, he rolled onto his side and reached out, swinging his hand at the bag of chips.

Just to watch the bag of chips fall to the ground.

He scowled and cursed quietly. It figured that he'd use the last of his strength to knock his sustenance to the ground. _'What __**fucking**__ bullshit.'_ He glared at the table and his hand before sighing quietly. _'So. This is how it ends.'_ He sighed and let his eyes drift closed. _'Kinda sad. But at least I got t' spend some more time with my friends.'_

He heard a knock. "Joey?"

'_What are the fucking odds?'_ He shouldn't have felt so annoyed, but having Seto nearby would prolong his misery. That was why he'd been so okay with it being cut off completely. At least his death wouldn't be strung out and miserable.

Seto frowned as he came into the room and found him, looking so pale and frail on the bed. He was almost afraid to touch him, scared that he would break as soon as he made contact, but he ignored that feeling; he was certain that Joey wouldn't appreciate being treated like some sort of delicate flower. Instead, he slid his hand into the blond's and gripped it gently. "Mokie said you were sick."

"…Meh." Joey turned his gaze away. "I'm not as sick as I look."

The brunet frowned and peeked under the covers. "You look like you're starving."

"Still, not as sick as I look." Joey frowned and sighed.

"You haven't seen a doctor about this, have you? Why don't you go see one now? I'll even drive you there." Seto reached out to cup his cheek. "Do you need me to carry you to the car?"

The blond huffed. "I'm not goin' anywhere. I'm sick, Seto, and there's nothin' you can do about it. I'm at peace and I'm ready t' go." He let his eyes close and sighed. "Just lemme go."

Seto scowled, then reached down to hook his arms behind his back and under his knees. "The hell with this. I'm taking you whether you like it or not."

"_NO!_" Joey jerked away, letting out a yelp as he fell back onto his hard mattress. "Ouch! Damn it, Seto just leave me alone! Go back t' your fiancée!"

The brunet stood up straight in annoyance. "Is that what this is about? You said it was okay!"

"It _is_ okay!" the younger boy ground out. "Go fuck yourself, Kaiba! I didn't even wanna see ya, ya selfish prick, so just go home t' your girlfriend and leave me alone!"

"Why are you doing this to yourself? To your friends? To me?" Seto glared at him. "You're sick. Maybe the doctors could help you. But you just want to lie down and _die._"

Joey jerked his head away. "Just leave me alone. How I die is my decision, not yours, so just go away!"

The brunet huffed. "Because despite how much of a stubborn jackass you are, I still care about you. Please, just let me take you to the hospital."

"_No._ Just lemme go, Kaiba, and make it easier on both of us."

Seto scowled. "Why are you so adamant about this? I care about you and as farfetched as this may sound I don't want you to die!"

"I'M GONNA DIE WHETHER OR NOT I GO T' THE FUCKIN' HOSPITAL, OKAY!" Joey finally roared, then turned and hid his face in his pillow, muffling his sobs in the fabric. He shouldn't have had enough strength to cry like this. It was all because Seto had come to see him. He'd gotten a little of the attention, the affection he'd needed to continue living a little longer.

And he was living long enough to cry himself out.

He flinched as he felt the brunet's hands on his shoulders, shuddering, then turned his head away. "Just leave me alone, Kaiba. Please. I just wanna be alone when I die."

Seto pulled the blond into his arms and frowned. "Is it cancer or something like that?"

"No, it's just—I was gonna—You're ruinin' _everything!_" the younger boy sobbed, hiding his face in the brunet's shoulder. "Why are ya doin' this t' me? We were _over._ We weren't s'posed t' be _friends._ You were s'posed t' just leave me be and never talk t' me again."

"But… Joey, you… I've ruined everything by being your friend? Isn't that all you and Yugi ever wanted from me?"

"I'm only alive now 'cause you're near me just please lemme go I'm ready t' die I was at peace until your stupid face showed up!"

Seto leaned his head against the blond's and began stroking his hair gently. "I don't know what you're talking about, Joey. Maybe once you've calmed down, you can explain it to me."

Joey sobbed. He knew the outcome would be no different. Seto would leave him again if he explained, mostly out of disgust, anyway.

It really was a shame. He'd been so okay with dying a few minutes ago.


	45. Heart Song

Author's Note: I apologize ahead of time for using this song (Angel, by Sarah McLachlan, changed a fraction to suit my purposes) and perhaps driving some of you to tears as you recall faces of sad and abused animals. Hopefully the puppyshipping will make it better?

* * *

><p><span>Heart Song<span>

_Spend all your time waitin  
><em>_For that second chance  
><em>_For a break that would make it okay  
><em>_There's always some reason  
><em>_To feel not good enough  
><em>_And it's hard at the end of the day_

Seto turned to look up at the top of the tower sharply, eyes widening in disbelief. He recognized that voice. But, the slavers had sworn through sobs of pain that the blond had died during transport.

_I need some distraction  
><em>_Oh beautiful release  
><em>_Memories seep from my veins  
><em>_Let me be empty  
><em>_Oh and weightless and maybe  
><em>_I'll find some peace tonight_

Eyes finally catching sight of gold glinting in the sunlight, the brunet gasped quietly. _'Joey. You're here. You're alive. –AND SOMEONE HAD STOLEN YOU FROM ME.'_

Joey seemed to have spotted him as well, directing his powerful song down at him instead of to the air.

_In the arms of the angel  
><em>_Fly away from here  
><em>_From this dark, cold cell room  
><em>_And the endlessness that you fear_

Seto tensed, feeling livid at the thought that the monsters that had bought him had locked him up in a cell, then turned and began toward the gates.

_You were pulled from the wreckage  
><em>_Of your silent reverie  
><em>_You're in the arms of the angel  
><em>_May you find some comfort here_

Seto paused, then looked up at the tower again. He was a powerful summoner, and he could probably wipe out the entire castle staff, but suddenly, flying up to the window and breaking him free would be so much easier. He sighed, then cleared his throat. "_Joey._"

His voice was as soft as a whisper, but the name traveled up the height of the tower. He saw the blond startle slightly, then look down at him as if just seeing him—and he probably was. His song had only been directed at him as a stranger, not as a former lover, because he'd been so lonely.

The blond's reply was just as soft but still carried the musical lilt he'd fallen in love with originally. _"Seto?"_

"_I've been looking for you. Are you alright? Have they hurt you?_"

"_No, they've taken good care of me. They bring me out at their balls and have me sing to their guests. I just wish I'd be let out once in a while. Would you… would you help me? I wouldn't want to put you out, of course. Just… could you do something? Even convincing them to just let me have a little freedom, I—"_

Seto scowled. "_No. Joey, once it gets dark out, I'll come and get you, and I'll take you away from here. You'll be mine forever. I'll protect you._" He paused, then added, "_Please let me protect you._"

The voice that replied was bashful and so sweet that Seto could have sworn that Joey's voice was made of honey. _"I'll let you protect me always, Seto. I never want to leave your side. I'll put the guards to sleep tonight so you can break in without too much trouble."_

Seto smiled, even though he knew Joey couldn't see it. "_Alright. Thanks. Midnight._"

"_I can't wait, Seto. I've missed you so much."_

"_I've missed you too,_" the brunet began, only to hear someone calling out to him. Turning, he saw some guards with spears approaching him and scowled, then looked back up again. "_I've got to go now. I'll be back tonight._" He turned and began walking away, feeling terrible for leaving him behind, but the pain ebbed a little when he thought about how he'd rescue the blond later that night.

He was comforted further when he heard the blond begin singing again.

_In the arms of the angel  
><em>_Fly away from here  
><em>_From this cold dark cell room  
><em>_And that endlessness you fear…_


	46. Reflection

Author's Note: Follow-up to Rebirth.

* * *

><p><span>Reflection<span>

"How the fuck do you get your hair that fucking straight!"

Seto blinked and reached up to touch his hair. "What?"

"I don't have a reflection anymore how am I s'posed t' do my hair ya always yell at me for lookin' like a slob how the hell do I do this!" Joey exclaimed, grabbing his hair and yanking angrily. "GRAH!"

The brunet raised an eyebrow. "My hair isn't as thick as yours. It falls into place rather well."

"I can't even see if I have anything on my face after I eat!" the younger vampire wailed. "Seto why didja do this t' me!"

Seto frowned and reached out to cup his cheeks. "Stop your tantrum."

Joey huffed and tried to struggle out of his grip, then sighed and looked down at his feet. "…I'm sorry."

The brunet pulled him into a hug and sighed. "It's okay. I had problems when I was turned, too."

"Nn-!" Flinching a little as the older boy began to bite at his neck, the blond sighed and relaxed against him. "I haven't even changed that much. It's just the little things like this." He sniffled and forced himself not to cry. He did not enjoy blood dripping down his cheeks when he was so used to it being salt water. "Seto, 'm hungry."

"I'll go get someone for you to eat then—"

"Mmr." Joey leaned back and glared at him.

Seto paused. "…Some_thing_ for you to eat."

"If you bring back a person again I'm gonna punch you," the blond growled. "Keep gettin' blood from the blood bank for me."

"How are you supposed to learn to hunt if you never eat from humans?" the older boy grumbled.

"I DON'T WANNA LEARN TO HUNT!" Joey roared, smacking his arm. "I don't like killin' things! I haven't been a cold-hearted bastard as long as you have, asshole!"

Seto supposed he should have been offended, but he had to admit it was true. He'd been the same way when _he'd_ first been turned.

He'd just have to find a criminal to be Joey's first victim and leave the pure, virgin people to other people. Joey was the kind of person that wouldn't mind taking out someone that was a terrible person. Besides, it's not as if anyone would miss them.


	47. Perfection

Author's Note: Follow-up to Breaking Away.

* * *

><p><span>Perfection<span>

Seto caught Soji by the tail and dragged him between his claws, scowling. "Come _here,_ Soji."

The little kit whined, claws making grabby motions toward its mother. "Mama! Mama!"

"I AM PERFECTLY CAPABLE OF CLEANING YOU MYSELF!" the white dragon roared in frustration. "IT IS NOT MY FAULT THAT YOU AND YOUR BROTHER AND SISTER WENT TROMPING THROUGH A MUD PUDDLE!"

Soji pursed his lips petulantly. "Mama…"

Joey snorted in amusement but quickly covered it with a cough when his mate shot him a disgruntled look. "Yes, well, um… Well. Hey, Seto, I overheard Yugi and Yami talkin' today. Yugi asked why Yami thought he was worth matin' with when he had his pick of the entire herd." He blinked innocently. "Why'd ya choose me?"

"Because you epitomize my idea of perfection," Seto replied promptly between licks, only barely being heard over the kit's squeals of protest.

Joey blinked again. "…What."

Seeing that the baby dragon was clean, he released it and watched the little kit hurriedly waddle over to its mother to begin to suckle. "Perfection. You. You're perfect."

Joey's scales tinted a rosy color in embarrassment. "Seto, that's not true!"

The white dragon and tilted his head, then leaned over to nuzzle his neck. "You're submissive. You're feisty. You're gorgeous. You didn't mind bearing kits. You're stubborn. You're sweet. You argue even when others have scattered away. I love you. You're perfect."

"Oh, Seto, you're makin' me pink," the younger dragon mumbled in embarrassment, looking away quickly.

"Pink for perfection," Seto cooed, nibbling at the scales of his wings. "Would you like me to go hunt something?"

"Yeah. 'm hungry and these little guys don't wanna leave me alone." He looked down at them worriedly. "They're gonna get _fat._"

"They'll lose the weight when it comes time for them to learn to fly. Besides, they'll need the extra fat. That way they'll bounce when they fall down," the white dragon muttered, standing and beginning out of the den.

He heard Joey burst into laughter as he spread his wings and couldn't help a smile of his own. Bouncing baby duckling-kits.


	48. Everyday Magic

Author's Note: This sort of reminded me of the Sandra Bullock movie Practical Magic. So I went in that direction. **:|** Also, 'witch' is unisex in this universe.

* * *

><p><span>Everyday Magic<span>

Seto watched the spoon in the blond's cup continue to stir the creamer into his coffee, then looked up at him. "You want a little coffee with your creamer, Joey?"

Joey blushed and slammed his hand down on top of the cup, stopping the spoon in its tracks. "Oh, no, it's just—I don't drink coffee much, so I—"

"Joey, when I invited you out for coffee, I didn't mean you specifically had to _get_ coffee," the brunet began, then sighed and reached for his cup. "Here, just let me—Miss, could you bring him a different drink?"

Joey blushed and sank down in his seat a little when the waitress looked at him expectantly. "…Green tea will be fine…"

Seto watched her go, then looked back at the blond in disgruntlement. "You've been acting weird ever since we walked in here. What's wrong?"

"It's just… did ya really ask me out 'cause ya like me or because I'm a witch?"

The older boy frowned, tilting his head slightly. "How many people have asked you out just because you're a witch?"

Joey turned his gaze on the table and frowned. "…Enough."

"That's… stupid." Seto scowled. "Of course. And they've ruined your dating experience with me. That's perfect."

Joey flinched. "I'm sorry. I wish I could have had somethin' better t' say." He smiled at the waitress as she left a cup and a pot of the green tea on the table, then reached out to pour. "Hmm…" He took a sip, then grimaced. "_Wow_ that is green. That's steeped too long." He paused, then peered up at the brunet nervously. "Ya won't judge me if I put some sweetener in this?"

The older boy shrugged. "Let's be honest. I'm probably going to judge you at least a little."

The blond blinked at him, then giggled, covering his mouth in embarrassment. "You're a jerk. Pass me the sugar."

Seto shrugged again. "Actually, the reason I asked you out is because I think you're attractive and I wouldn't mind sleeping with you."

Joey paused with the cup halfway to his mouth. "…I'm not sure whether I should throw this in your face or not."

"Please at least aim it at my chest. I don't want burns on my face." The older boy smirked. "But you don't really want to do that, do you?"

The blond hummed and glanced away. "Well, I guess the honesty is sort of refreshin', but I don't know if I like what you're bein' honest about."

"I've heard that you brew a certain kind of aphrodisiac. I wouldn't mind experimenting with that, either," the brunet purred, leaning toward him and grinning smugly.

Joey glanced down into his cup, wondering if he really did want to throw it in his face, then shrugged and sighed. "Well. Maybe if you're good the first time, I'll break it out the second time. Until then, that aphrodisiac stays safely in my safe, where it belongs."

Seto paused, then couldn't help a smile. "You're saying you'd have a second date with me?"

"If you're not bad in the sack and you're not a dick t' me for the rest of the date, _maybe,_" the younger boy replied, taking another sip of his tea.

The brunet smiled. "Yes, of course."

"Besides, I can see you're curious even if you're not underhanded about it. I'll show ya some other magic later," Joey added, holding up his hand and moving his index finger around in a small circle.

Feeling the cup in his hand move, he looked down quickly and saw the spoon circling it again as if a hand was holding it. He looked back up at the witch sharply. "You…"

"I'm a witch, idiot." Joey stuck his tongue out at him. "Bleeeeh." He smirked. "I made it cold, too."

Seto blinked at him before dipping his finger into the creamy brown liquid. He immediately yelped and yanked his hand away. "Ouch!"

"Oh, did I say I made it cold? My mistake," the blond cooed, smirking. "I actually made it hotter. Just 'cause you're bein' so smug."

The brunet shoved his finger into his mouth and glared at him, growling a little. "I suppose I deserved that."

"Ummm, yeah, ya definitely deserved it," Joey replied, shrugging. "Take me t' dinner and I might let ya have sex with me then."

Seto snorted. "Aren't you afraid I'm just in it because you're a witch or because I want to see more of your magic anymore?"

"Biiiite meeee." The blond smirked. "You've already told me what ya want and I _reeeally_ doubt you're lyin'. Besides, I've always wanted t' use that aphrodisiac, too. Looks like I finally found someone to use it _with._"

Seto stared at him, then whimpered quietly at the images that flashed through his mind, certain that it was because of the witch in front of him that he was seeing them. Suddenly, he wasn't so sure he was in control anymore.


	49. Umbrella

Umbrella

Seto paused at the doorway to open his umbrella, annoyed at the torrential downpour that he found when he opened the door. _'Ugh, rain. I suppose it's better than snow, though. Employees can't call in because they can't get through to the—huh?'_ He stopped when he saw the blond hanging beneath the safety of the roof, watching the falling water uneasily.

From what he knew of Joey (quite a lot) he was aware that the blond had a couple of miles to walk home, and the weather man (usually wrong, but he had his moments where he was right) had predicted even heavier showers than these. Joey would still be a sopping wet mess even if he ran all the way home.

Seto glanced at his umbrella, then glanced out at the limo waiting at the front of the school. He glanced at his umbrella again and sighed. It was a really nice umbrella, and he liked it very much. Well, Joey would probably insist upon giving it back, anyway.

Seto turned to look at Joey and swallowed thickly when he saw the expression of anxiety and despair, then thrust the umbrella at him before he got any ideas (especially of the lewd sort) and promptly stepped out into the rain. Halfway to the car, he heard the blond calling after him, but he ignored it in favor of escaping. _'Just get away before he starts thinking you have a heart.'_

He didn't look back until he was safely in the dry limo, where he took one last look out the window. Joey was still standing under the roof, looking confused, before his lips twisted into a grin and he began down the steps, holding the umbrella over his head.

Seto leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest, trying to fight off the chill from the rain he'd had the misfortune of coming into contact with. He had to admit, though, that there was a certain warmness in his chest when he saw the younger boy's smile. Before he began smiling a little himself, he ordered, "Drive."


	50. Party

Author's Note: Halfway there! Just fifty more to go! …I suppose this is a follow-up to My Inspiration.

* * *

><p><span>Party<span>

Seto looked up as he heard the blond stumble in, scowling, then jerked his gaze back at the scroll he was reading. "So where was the party?"

"Aw, Seto, don't be mad," Jeno cooed, sliding onto his lap and wrapping his arms around the brunet's neck. "Dionysus was havin' a party."

Seto ducked his mouth as he leaned down for a kiss and shoved him aside. "A party that lasted two weeks!"

The nymph rolled onto his back and looked up at him, pouting. "But there was good wine, and lotus, and music and dancin'! Ya can't blame me for enjoyin' it!"

The brunet tilted his head, then shrugged. "Yes, actually, I can."

"Seto! Ya knew I was a nymph when ya started with me!" Jeno frowned and sat up.

"I'm aware of what I knew. Still, I'd like you to show a little moderation when you play with your friends," the human replied.

The blond huffed. "Jeez, you're so fuckin' cranky, I—"

Seto tilted his head. "Did you forget something, Jeno?"

"…Uh?" Jeno blinked, then cupped his chin and sighed, eyebrows furrowing together as he tried to remember anything of importance that had happened the last couple of weeks. "…I don't _think_ so."

The human looked even more annoyed at that—and hurt this time, too. "Let me give you a hint. There was another party planned this week."

Jeno stared at him for a moment, then gasped in horror. "Oh, Seto, your birthday party!"

Seto huffed and looked back at his scroll. "Yeah. The one I had planned months in advance and that you promised to go to so I could prove to my friends that you're not just in my imagination. I've gotten quite tired of the way they look at me with obvious pity."

"Seto, I'm _sorry—_" the nymph began, but the brunet waved him off quickly.

"It doesn't matter that much anyway." He turned onto his side, away from him, then sighed and placed the parchment on the bed, examining the words carefully. "It's not as if they didn't already think I was crazy anyway."

Jeno fiddled with his hands, then stood and went over to grab his bag, pulling out the bottles he'd originally gone to the god of grape harvest and wine for. He looked at the brunet and bit his bottom lip for a moment before walking over to him and holding out the bottles. "I got these from Dionysus for ya. …They're the best he makes."

Seto glanced up at the bottles, raising an eyebrow, before looking back at the scroll. "How long did you have to blow him for those?"

The nymph immediately bristled. "I'll have ya know that I didn't participate in any orgies while I was there, even though this really cute satyr was givin' me the eye and my friends begged me t' join 'em!"

The human scowled. "You know, calling a satyr cute doesn't really help you. I don't know, maybe you _should_ have joined in with them. Joined in and just never have come back."

Jeno flinched, and he might have gotten angry and snarled at him if he hadn't already felt so bad about forgetting the brunet's birthday party. He really _hadn't_ meant to forget his party; he'd wanted to get some really good wine as his present and had gotten caught up in the festivities that usually followed the god of wine around.

Looking down at his feet, he sighed quietly, then carefully sat on the bed. "…Ya ever gonna forgive me, Seto?"

"I'll think about it," Seto replied, then scowled and sat up, holding the scroll up in disbelief. "I can't believe it!"

Jeno blinked. "What is it?"

"This philosopher I've been reading about killed himself! He was on the verge of a breakthrough _urgh!_" Throwing the scroll away, he turned and smashed his face into the nearest pillow. "He's been dead for several months and I'm just now getting a message about it I hate this!"

The blond tilted his head. "You could read some stuff from Chiron. I know ya don't really like centaurs, but he's pretty awesome. He's had tons of pupils that ya probably know."

Seto scowled and closed his eyes. "Yeah. One of them is Dionysus."

Jeno laughed nervously. "Well yeah I suppose but he's had a lot of other pupils I mean not just Dionysus he's had tons of other philosophers under his tutelage!"

The human sighed, brows furrowing together, before he finally opened one and glanced out of the corner of his eye. "Do you have any of his philosophies written down?"

Seeing a way he could be forgiven, the blond leaned forward, eyes shining with determination. "I don't, but I can find some!" He stood. "I'll go right now!"

Seto hummed and shrugged. "You could go take a bath instead."

The nymph paused, then turned to glare at him. "And what is _that_ s'posed t' mean?"

"Hmm." Grabbing one of the bottles and pulling the cork off, he smelled it and hummed quietly. "Well, you went through all that trouble to get me this wine. I thought I might pour it all over you and lick it off." He paused as he heard the blond scamper into the bathroom, then took a swig of the wine and immediately shuddered with pleasure.

Well, perhaps he could forgive Joey for being gone during his birthday party. This wine was fantastic and he could almost come just drinking it. He looked at the bottle again, then grinned when Jeno scrambled out of the bathroom, sopping wet, and threw himself on the bed, wriggling onto his back and looked up at him expectantly. "This is good wine."

"'course it is. Dionysus made it himself," the nymph retorted, then arched his hips up. "Well, hurry up. I spent two weeks watchin' people have sex and not doin' anything. Show me it's worth it."

Seto scowled for a moment, but remembering how amorous nymphs were, he was surprised by the nymph's self-control. "Well, perhaps I should really reward you then, hmm."

Jeno squealed as the brunet poured the crimson liquid over his torso and squirmed. "Cold-!"

"You're a nymph. You should be used to cold liquid."

"Not when the liquids I'm usually covered with are hot," the blond grumbled. "Cum, saliva, hot bath water…"

"Start taking cold baths," Seto suggested, before he dipped his head and begin nibbling and licking over his skin. "Delicious."

Jeno shivered and dug his fingers into the brunet's hair. "Ngh, Seto, hurry up. Watchin' all those people havin' sex wasn't any fun!"

The human glanced up at him and smirked. "Admit it. It was a little fun."

"I just want ya in meeee!" the blond wailed. "What fun's a party if ya can't have sex!"

"…We wouldn't have had sex at my birthday party," Seto stated after a moment. "What-?"

"Gaaah fuckin' prudish humans you can still lick me clean just put it in me!"

"I can't bend like that Jeno."

"Well then can I at least blow you?"

Seto sighed in frustration. "No, because you missed my birthday. So I'm taking my birthday sex right now and just so you know how pissed I was that you didn't show up, I'm going to go _as slow as I want._"

Jeno whimpered. He hated when Seto went slow, but he figured he _did_ sort of deserve it.


	51. Troubling Thoughts

Troubling Thoughts

Joey chewed his lower lip as he sat down at the end of the pier, brows furrowing together as he tried to figure out where he should go. His father had kicked him out for the night. He wanted someplace safe to stay for the night. Still, he was too afraid to admit to his friends his living situation, and it wasn't really that cold out. In fact, it was surprisingly warm.

He bit his bottom lip a few minutes longer, then pulled his shoes and socks off and let his feet dip into the water, shivering slightly at the icy liquid surrounding his feet. "Ngh-!" He fought the urge to pull his feet back out and concentrated solely on the feeling of cold on his feet rather than his current situation.

"Looks like you're dealing with some very troubling thoughts."

Joey gasped and turned quickly, frowning when he saw the brunet leaning against the wood of the dock, arms resting on the edge as he gazed out of him with glowing blue eyes. "Uh-? Wha—Hey—Ya gotta be freezin'!"

"Quite the contrary. It's unseasonably warm." The brunet smirked. "My people consider nights like these quite special." He tilted his head. "It's said that we find our other halves on nights like these."

The blond blinked. "Your people…? You from outta the country?"

"…You could say that."

"Oh. …Whatcha doin' in the water then?" Joey turned and crawled over to him. "Unless you're from somewhere really cold, that _can't_ be comfortable."

"I think it's quite comfortable, but you're right. I'm from somewhere incredibly cold." The brunet smiled a decidedly chilly smile. "I could make it quite warm for you, too."

Joey tilted his head. "Ya offerin' me a place t' stay for the night?"

"…You could say that."

"Hmmm, weeeell… I don't think so," the blond replied after a few minutes of thought. "I don't know ya and even _I'm_ not stupid enough t' just walk off with a stranger. Though I'm pretty sure I'd be able t' beat your pretty-boy face if ya tried anything."

"I'll be here any night from midnight until just before dawn," the brunet supplied, shrugging. "If you ever want to talk to me and _not_ be strangers anymore, I wouldn't mind."

Joey blinked at him innocently, then smiled and nodded. "Yeah, okay, if ya say you'll be here then maybe I'll come visit ya!" He paused, smile becoming a little awkward before he added, "You're kind of a freak, huh, swimming at the weirdest hours of the night."

"It just adds to my mysteriousness, don't you think?" The other boy chuckled quietly. "My name's Seto. If I'm not here when you arrive, just call for me, and I'll come."

The blond frowned. "Ya really swimmin' in this stuff? Hate t' tell ya this, buddy, but the water's sorta bad around here."

"I noticed. You know, I'm surprised that the chemicals in the water haven't made me grow a tail," Seto laughed.

Joey giggled a little, then began putting his socks and shoes back on. "Well, I gotta get goin' before those cops find me. They always patrol this area in a few minutes, and they'll just think I'm up t' no good." He smiled. "Ya might wanna get outta here before they find ya, too."

"I'll keep that in mind," the brunet replied, then watched him leave. He waited until he was certain the human was out of sight before he shoved away from the wooden deck, flipping back just high enough that his scaly tail slapped the water on his back into the water.

He had to get home quickly, after all, and inform the elders that he'd found his Other Half.


	52. Stirring of the Wind

Author's Note: Follow-up to Nature's Fury.

* * *

><p><span>Stirring of the Wind<span>

Seto blinked as some leaves flew past him, curled around, twirled about in a little dance, then fluttered to the ground. "…It's not really that time of year yet, is it?"

Joey slid his arms around his waist from behind and sighed, eyes sliding closed as he leaned against his back. "Fall's come early."

"Hmm." The brunet tilted his head, smiling a little as the smaller man pressed closer to him. "And the stirring of the wind has also stirred up you."

"Uhn…" The weather god looked up at him as he turned in his arms with a sleepy sort of smile. "Yes…" The younger boy licked his lips and giggled quietly. "Please…"

Seto sighed. "Joey, we're in the human world right now."

"That just makes it more excitiiing," Joey purred, smiling, as he pawed at the brunet's chest. "Pleeease…!"

The older boy chuckled and grabbed his wrists. "Not here." He blinked as the blustery winds immediately died, leaves fluttering down without help. He looked down at the blond and frowned when he saw the sad, deflated expression on his face. "What-?"

"I guess I'll just leave that fantasy for another century then," he murmured, sighing sadly.

Seto tilted his head, surprised, then rolled his eyes and sighed, extending his powers to see if there were any humans nearby. Once finding that the nearest humans were a couple of miles away, he growled in annoyance, then promptly tackled the blond to the ground.

"Guh-! Seto, what are ya—Nn!" Joey shivered as the brunet immediately began tearing at his clothes, then smiled brightly as his legs were slid over his shoulders. "You're such a givin' lover, Seto."

"You just know I can't stand it when you sulk," the brunet grumbled, settling between his legs. "Don't say I never did anything for you."

The blond purred and mewled appreciatively. "Ya do everything fer me, Setoooo!"

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Joey, what the hell was that?" Atem asked angrily. "You almost started a tornado!"

Joey stared at him for a moment, startled, then blushed, biting his bottom lip to keep from giggling. "Oh… You know, just got distracted!"

The shorted god scowled. "And just _what_ were you distracted by in the human world?"

"Well, it wasn't really—_Eek!_" The blond covered his mouth in embarrassment when his lover came up behind him and grabbed his ass, rubbing the tips of his fingers playfully between his cheeks.

"It wasn't so much the human world that distracted him as it was the sex we had there."

Atem's mouth fell open in shock.

Joey chuckled nervously and reached back to grab his hand, blush growing darker as the brunet ducked his grab and instead slid his hand down the back of his pants. "Ahn-! Seto we're in front of the king you're such a pervert!"

Seto raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that precisely why you chose me?" Seeing the blush forming on his cousin's cheeks and the outrage in his eyes, he promptly scooped the blond up and lifted him over his shoulder. "You know how the changing seasons affect his libido. He's a horny little tease on the best of days. Seasons changing just makes him even worse." He paused, then added, "I'll get him out of your hair then."

Atem sputtered in confusion. "You—He—In the—then—here—and—What?" He watched the brunet carry the blond out of the throne room, then fell back in his seat. "I can't deal with them much longer."


	53. Future

Future

"You… _are_ planning for the future, aren't you?"

Joey tilted his head and sighed quietly. "What's the point. It's not as if I'll live long enough to have a future."

"You're sick, not dead," Seto snapped, hopping off the windowsill. He spread his wings and bounced over to him, taking a perch on the footboard of the bed the pale blond was sitting on.  
>"And with an attitude like that, you'll never get better."<p>

The human lifted his hand to wipe the sweat from his brow. "Listen, I'm glad ya think I have the strength t' fight this curse, but…"

"You're at the end of the curse. You just need to fight through this illness and then you'll have won," the white raven cawed angrily. "You can't just give up now! You're a Curse Breaker!"

Joey scowled, chest heaving a little with the effort to breathe. "You're just sayin' that 'cause ya want me t' break _your_ curse."

"I am supposed to be in the majestic body of a dragon, not some flimsy little bird!" the raven exclaimed, hopping excitedly as he glared at him in the way only a bird could. "If you can't fight off your own curse and save me, I'll be trapped in this body forever!"

"Well what sorta dumbass dragon gets in a fight with a witch that powerful, idiot?" Joey spat, glaring at him. "Sounds like _you_ weren't really thinkin' of the future, either!"

"She called me a lizard," the raven hissed.

The blond rolled his eyes. "Dragons _are_ lizards."

"DRAGONS ARE NOT LIZARDS WE ARE MAJESTIC AND POWERFUL HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT!"

Joey rubbed his eyes tiredly and sighed. "Gods, just go find another Breaker. I'm probably not skilled enough t' break your curse anyway."

Seto clicked his beak in disgruntlement. "Don't be foolish, you twit."

"Insultin' me doesn't really make me wanna… Hhh…"

The corners of the raven's beak curved into a frown as he spread his wings and hopped onto the bed worriedly. "Joey, are you alright?" He cawed in surprise as the blond fell back against the headboard, eyes falling to half-mast sightlessly as he trembled. He hopped forward and reached out a wing to brush his feathers over the blond's cheek. "You should rest."

Joey wheezed quietly and whimpered. "'m so sorry," he whispered, a single tear coursing down his cheek—the only tear he had the strength to cry. "'m so sorry, Seto."

Seto clicked his beak again, tracing his wing over the blond's cheek. "Hey, you'll be okay. You'll have plenty of time to rub this in my face." He tried to smile, but the human wasn't answering, and that just made him worry more. "Joey. Joey, you'll be alright," he assured, hopping closer, and brushed his feathers over the blond's face again. "You'll be fine."

"'m sorry… 'm sorry, S'to… 'm so sorrrrryyyy…" His words were slurred and weak.

Seto squawked worriedly. He hadn't made Joey use the last his strength to yell at him instead of breaking the curse on himself, had he? He cawed and hopped away as the blond slid down the headboard, eyes wide and sightless.

He inched back over to him and frowned, then caught the blanket in his beak and pulled it up as best he could. He wished he could have pulled it up all the way, but the blanket was thick and heavy and he was just a silly little bird. He brushed the human's sweaty brow with his wing, then preened the blond's bangs back so they weren't in his face. He sighed, then perched against the blond's chest, hoping that at least the warmth of his tiny body would help.

This was stupid. If he was a dragon, he could have warmed the human with his claws, and—

…If he was a dragon, he probably wouldn't have had anything to do with Joey.

Seto looked down at the blond, then shifted closer to him and began preening his hair again. "You'll be okay, Joey."

"'m… Set… rry…"

Seto brushed his wing over his cheek to hush him and continued preening his hair.


	54. Health and Healing

Author's Note: Direct follow-up to Future.

* * *

><p><span>Health and Healing<span>

Seto watched the blond go about his morning routine, then spread his wings and bounced after him. "You're sure you feel better, right?"

"I told ya I felt like crap. But I'm not gonna make any money lyin' around all day. Besides, it's not like I'm throwin' up anymore. I broke the curse, yeah, but I'm still weak and tired."

"You shouldn't push yourself so hard. You still have to break my curse. –Gwah!" Seto glared at the door that had shut behind the blond and immediately began pecking at it. "Let me out! I'm going with you!"

Joey sighed in annoyance. "It's really hard t' work when people are gawkin' at the fuckin' albino bird I got talkin' at me." He turned to lock the door. "Just sit there until I come back, okay?"

"No! Take me with you! Don't leave me here!" Seto turned and looked around nervously. Someone might take advantage of his tiny, fragile form and kill him before Joey broke the curse. They wouldn't dare if he was _near _the Curse Breaker, but if he was left alone…

He didn't want to think he was desperate, but he was too afraid of being killed and never seeing his little brother again. "Joey! Joey! If you leave me here alone I'll poop! I'LL SHIT ALL OVER EVERYTHING YOU OWN!"

He wasn't proud of his threat, and he probably wouldn't have carried it out, but he didn't want to be left alone. And, when he heard the key in the lock, he only waited for the door to open enough that he could squeeze out.

Joey gave him a sour look before he locked the door again and continued to the tavern in which he worked. "You're such a pain in the ass."

Ignoring the way he'd so degraded himself, the white raven flapped his wings to gain enough air to close his toes around the human's shoulder. He tucked his wings against his body and closed his eyes. "Hmm."

"You're not stayin' there. I can't just serve customers with a bird on my shoulder."

"I'm not a bird. I'm decoration. Look, I'm not even alive. See?"

Joey glanced at him and couldn't help a snort when he saw that the raven had frozen himself into a pose as if he was about to take off from his shoulder. "No. You're not stayin' on my shoulder."

"How am I supposed to monitor your health if I can't be nearby? You're still healing," Seto complained, narrowing his eyes.

The blond sighed. "I'm perfectly capable of monitorin' my own health."

Seto turned his head away and huffed in a way the human could only describe as snotty. "I'm more qualified at judging a human's health than you are."

"Oh? And why is that?"

"Because I'm very picky about what I eat."

Joey paused, his already pale skin going white. "…Oh."

"…I won't eat you after you break my curse, though," Seto commented, turning his head to preen his wing.

The human grimaced. "Yeah, thanks." He wanted to believe the stupid bird, but the way he'd said it so casually didn't make him feel better.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto kept his sharp eyes on the blond even as he took to the sky, enjoying some time to have his feathers ruffled by the winds. It didn't feel as good as the wind on his scales, but it _did_ feel better than just sitting on the blond's shoulder and being carried. He took a moment to do some flips and twirls, then blinked when he realized he'd outpaced the human. He turned to fly back and looked around for him.

He was horrified to find the blond surrounded by three other men. He began flapping wildly, eyes narrowing as he saw two of the men grab the blond's arms and the third punch him in the gut. Cawing angrily, he pressed his wings flat against his body and dove, slamming into one of the men holding his human and pecking and scratching at his eyes.

The other man snarled and slapped him away, and he wheezed helplessly as he hit the side of a tree and flopped to the ground. If he'd been a dragon, though, he would have smirked. The damage had been done and he'd blinded the man he'd dived onto.

The man that had hit Joey advanced on him, looking angry as the other man tried to tend to his friend's bloody face. Seto squawked and tried to scramble away, but his wing shot a pain through him so sharp that he fell, body spasming.

He saw the human's leg draw back and cawed weakly, flinching as he watched the thick boot swinging at him. _'This is not the way a dragon should die!'_

The boot had barely grazed him when it was kicked aside, and he watched the man crumple to the ground, confused. "Wha—"

"Don't talk," Joey ordered shortly, gathering the bird into his arms. The raven cawed in pain as his broken wing pressed against his chest. The blond shifted him in his arms and began walking back to his little home, a little faster than he had been. "Wouldn't want 'em t' realize you're not just a bird. They'd do terrible things t' ya if they knew ya were actually a dragon."

Seto nodded and kept his beak firmly shut.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Here. You okay now?"

Seto looked at his splinted wing and, if he'd had lips, he would have pursed them. "Well, it doesn't hurt." He shifted his wing and blinked. "Not at all, even when I move it." He looked up at the human sternly. "What magic have you used upon me, you little—"

Joey grabbed his beak firmly but not hard enough to hurt him, rolling his eyes in annoyance. "Did it ever occur t' ya that I'm just very good at setting broken bones?" He released the raven's beak and huffed. "Jeez, ya already said the only magic of mine ya want is your curse broken, anyway, and I promised."

Seto paused, then spread his wings and hopped over to the bed. "You should sleep."

"You're not even gonna apologize t' me?" the blond asked, scowling. When the white raven merely tilted its head and blinked at him, as if he didn't understand the words, he sighed and turned away. "Whatever. I'm gonna go pick some herbs before it gets too dark."

"You'll regain your energy faster if you sleep more," the raven replied, turning to look back at him.

Joey scowled. "That's all I am t' ya, huh? I'm just a way t' break your fuckin' curse. Well, fuck you too!"

Seto blinked as the blond stormed out, then tilted his head, frowning. "…I said energy, not magic," he muttered, then hopped over to perch on the headboard. He'd wait patiently for Joey to return and explain that he had been worried for the blond's health, not his ability to break curses.


	55. Separation

Separation

Seto whined. "Why do you have to leave?"

The younger boy blinked, then tilted his head awkwardly. "Well, ya said ya didn't want any pups. I'm gonna go into heat in a couple of days and since ya don't want pups I hafta go out on my own."

The vampire was immediately disgruntled. "And who is going to protect you while you're in heat?"

"Seto, we already decided not t' have pups this year," the blond replied slowly. "Even vampires aren't immune t' the scent we exude when we're in heat. We need t' be separated if we don't wanna make a mistake."

Seto frowned and reached out to grab his hands. "Don't you have any faith in my self-control?"

Joey giggled. "T' be honest, no. Remember when we first mated?"

The brunet blinked, then tilted his head, brows furrowing together in confusion. When he remembered the way he'd practically mauled the younger teen when he'd consented to mate, he blushed a little. "Oh."

"And when I told ya I didn't wanna have sex after I got in that fight so my broken bones could heal properly, but ya convinced me anyway? My leg still hurts when it gets too cold out," the werewolf added, laughing a little. "Seto, ya said ya don't want pups, and while I must admit I'm hopin' you'll change your mind someday, I know ya don't want 'em now. It's not like I'm leavin' ya. It's just a short separation so that you're not stuck with pups ya never wanted. It's not fair t' either of us."

Seto sighed and leaned his forehead against the blond's. "This isn't fair. Why can't they get birth control for werewolves?" Realizing what he'd just said, he flinched. "Uh—I mean—that is—"

Joey snorted. "No, I agree. Ya think this is gonna be a picnic for me? I'm gonna be all by myself for a week with no one t' fuck me when I'm at my horniest."

The brunet released another pathetic noise from his throat. "Get me riled up right before you have to go, of course." He pulled the werewolf into a hug and sighed. "I'll miss you. You'll at least tell me where you'll be and allow me to guard where you're staying?"

"It's a special hotel with walls so thick that the smell of our heats can't get out. Ya probably won't be the only mate prowlin' around." The blond nuzzled his chin lightly. "And I'll give ya my room number just in case there's an emergency."

Seto began kissing his neck gently. "When do you leave?"

"Tomorrow, just t' be safe. You can take me t' the hotel if ya want—see what it's about, check t' see if it's up t' your standards. Then we can maybe go out for one last—_Ooh!_" Hips jerking forward when the brunet grabbed his thighs and spread them, Joey whined quietly. "Seto, ya didn't even lemme finish talkin'-!"

The vampire nuzzled his throat and sighed. "I'm still listening."

"Ngh—but—you're…" The blond whimpered, then took a deep breath and continued, "Maybe we can go out for one last dinner before I hafta go back t' the hotel."

Seto kissed his throat a few moments longer before leaning back with a smile. "That sounds wonderful. And then when your heat's over, we can go out to dinner again to celebrate."

Joey blushed a little, surprised that the brunet wasn't mauling him one last time before he had to leave, then smiled bashfully. "Oh, okay."

The vampire decided not to tell him that he had already known where he was going and had only pretended not to because Joey hated it when he got 'overly-stalkerish,' as he described it. What he didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

Well, actually, what Joey didn't know wouldn't hurt Seto, because he had no doubt that the werewolf would smack the crap out of him if he knew what he did to watch him without his knowing.

Joey frowned in concern. "Seto, are you okay? Ya just went pale. …er."

The brunet smiled awkwardly. "I was just thinking."

"…Well if it's gonna make ya whiter, maybe you should stop," the werewolf suggested, tilting his head a little.

Seto laughed—a tight, awkward thing that sounded more strained than mirthful. "Taking a page out of your book, hmm?"

Joey narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "…Yeah, why not." He could tell something was up, but he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

After all, vampires were spectacularly bizarre and he was certain that the reason behind the brunet's sudden nervousness would only piss him off.


	56. Everything for You

Author's Note: FUUUUUUU uploaded the wrong chapter first sorry about that and sorry for the confusion. **:**C

* * *

><p><span>Everything for You<span>

"Seto, would ya go crazy psycho badass if I was ever kidnapped?" Joey asked idly, playing with his dog tags as he stared up at the ceiling.

Seto tilted his head. "Hmm. You say that as if you'd be kidnapped for long." When the blond hummed in confusion, he explained, "You'd be so damn annoying that _they'd_ pay _me_ to take you back."

The blond huffed, bottom lip jutting out in a pout as he rolled onto his side to face away from him. "Asshole."

Seto rolled his eyes and sighed, turning to face him. "Joey, you know I'd give everything up for you. Just like I'd give everything up for Mokuba. Why are you pestering me about it?"

"I just wanted t' know if you'd go crazy psycho badass! I really don't doubt that you'd do everything ya could t' save me, jeez."

"And why would you like to know whether I'd go… 'crazy psycho badass'?" the brunet sighed, frowning.

Joey shrugged a little. "Guess I just thought ya were sexy the last time ya turned into a psycho crazy badass when Mokuba was kidnapped. Ya have no idea how horny seein' ya made me." When Seto didn't reply, he turned to look at him in surprise, since Seto was usually smug when he said he was attractive.

Seto just looked appalled. "Why would you ever think I look sexy like _that?_"

"…Ya hafta admit, Seto, that choosin' t' be in a relationship with _you_ means somethin's not clickin' right in my brain," the blond deadpanned. "Besides, if you think _I'm_ sexy when I'm angry, why can't I think _you're _sexy when you're angry?"

The brunet scowled. "What is the matter with you?"

Joey raised an eyebrow. "You want a list?" When the older boy only made a noise of obvious consternation, he rolled onto his back and sighed. "You wanna fuck me now?"

"Wh—You—I—And—It—Sh—ARGH." Seto glared at him for a moment, then sighed and stood up. "Yeah."

"Ya really should learn t' pick your battles, Seto. Ya know ya like it when I think you're sexy," the blond cooed, wrapping his arms around the older boy's neck.

"You just said you liked me when you think I'm a psycho. That doesn't really compliment me," the brunet muttered, scowling, as he settled between the blond's legs. "Jeez."

Joey grinned. "What can I say? I'm attracted t' danger, and there's no one more dangerous than you!"

The brunet blinked. "…Thank you?"

"You're welcome. But seriously, I'm horny. Do me."

Seto sighed, raising an eyebrow as reached down to grab the hem of the blond's shirt. "I remember when this used to be romantic."

"I'll bring ya some flowers later if it makes ya feel better," Joey supplied. "I thought the 'givin' up everything for me' was pretty sweet, though."

The brunet rolled his eyes in frustration. "…Just… stop talking…"


	57. Slow Down

Author's Note: I have to admit that Seto really creeps me out in this story and I am so so so sorry. **:\**

* * *

><p><span>Slow Down<span>

Seto scowled and grabbed the blond's hands, pinning them above his head against the wall. "Would you slow down, Joey? I'm a demon, not a mirage."

Joey frowned and tilted his head, bottom lip jutting out into a pout. "But it's been so long since I've _seen_ you, Seto." He smiled sweetly. "And by 'seen' I mean 'had your dick up my ass.'"

"You're a tease. I don't know why the gods consider you humans such _pure _creatures." Seto traced the tip of his index finger over one of the blond's wrists, then tapped the wall on either side of it. Releasing the blond's wrists, he placed his hands on the human's hips and began kissing his neck gently. "I really do want to fuck you again, though. You wait months to summon me just to make me desperate for your ass again, don't you?"

"Yes-!" Joey mewed and moved to wrap his arms around the brunet's neck, then frowned as only one of his hands moved from the wall. He yanked on his right wrist quickly, looking up in confusion when he felt something keeping his hand from moving. "What—" Seeing the thin thread of magic around his wrist and attached to the wall, he looked at the brunet angrily. "Seto, you asshole, lemme g—"

Seto slammed his other wrist back on the wall and used his magic to tie it there as well. "Consider it punishment for waiting so long to summon me." Sliding his hands down the blond's body, he purred, tail twisting around and wiggling between the blond's legs. "And I know you used your power to keep me here for several hours. I'm quite certain that by the time I have to leave back to the immortal plane, you'll be sorry you waited so long."

Joey threw his head back with a startled squeal as the brunet's tiered tail began pressing inside of him. "Nn—What are you—" He wailed as the demon slipped his arms under his knees and pulled them upward, leaving him hanging from the wall as the brunet's wiggling tail slid deeper inside of him. "_Seto!_ Uhn! No! I wanted—I wanted ya t'—"

"Fuck you? But I _am_ fucking you," the demon cooed, sliding his tail in and out. His smug smile immediately twisted into an angry, threatening glare. "If you wait this long to summon me again I'll fuck you so hard that it will shatter every bone in your body."

The human shivered nervously. "B-but—Set—I didn't—Hnn!" He yelped as the brunet's tail twisted and prodded sharply at the spot that sent pleasure up his spine and made him see white. "_Ungh!_"

Seto grinned again, but there was something mean about it that made the blond nervous. "You know I'm just waiting for you to make a mistake in your summoning circles to drag you back to the immortal plane with me? One of these days you _will_ mess up your chalk symbols and I _will_ take advantage of that. I'll keep you in my bed for the rest of your pitiful existence—unless I want to show you off in front of the other demons."

Joey's breath hitched as the brunet grabbed his cock. "Ngh!"

"I won't share you, but I'll use you to tease them, make them jealous—make them weak." The demon growled happily at the thought. "If you think _I'm_ always glad to fuck you, imagine how good you'd look to demons that haven't been summoned for centuries. The only thing that will keep them from mauling you as soon as they see you will be the fact that _you belong to me._" He gave the blond's shaft a hard squeeze and chuckled as the human whimpered. "Not the other way around, you little bitch."

"Gah-!" Joey shrieked as he came, satisfaction mixed with terror and anxiety. He gasped as he felt the brunet's tail slide out of him, then whimpered again. "How do you know I'll summon ya again after ya told me that? Maybe, just to be safe, I'll put away my summonin' chalk." He yelped as the demon's tail slapped against his ass roughly. "_Seto!_"

"You'll summon me again," Seto purred, pulling the blond's legs to wrap around his waist. "Because you know that no one will ever fuck you as well as I can." He slid his hands up the human's arms and played with the magic threads holding him up. "You're an impatient lover. You like it fast and you want it _now._ But no matter how much you deny it, you know there's a little part of you that loves being forced to slow down and submit."

Joey flinched and whimpered again. "That's why people warned against summonin' ya, huh? Because you're psychotic, and—and possessive—"

The demon slammed his fists into the wall and snarled. "They warned you against it because I am more powerful than any other demon that can be summoned and I am more skilled at breaking out of the safety circles than even some mages. They warned you against it because even though you're powerful, you put a little piece of your heart into everything you do. I've tasted what your heart can give and _I want it._ I want you to look up at me after I finish fucking you with eyes that say nothing but 'I love you master' and 'I'll do anything to serve you, master.'"

"Tch!" The human jerked his head away and grit his teeth. "Yeah, like that'll ever happen!"

Seto snarled quietly. "Believe me, it will." He ripped the magic from around the blond's wrists and promptly turned to pin him to the floor. "Because I know I already have part of your heart and it's only a matter of time before I steal the rest of it."

Joey gasped as the brunet thrust into him and arched his back. "Uhn…! Seto—faster—"

The demon pressed his fingers to the blond's lips and purred, "No, you like it when I slow down. Besides, this is what you get for being such a coy little tease and making me wait so long to fuck you again."

"Gah, you're drivin' me crazy—just fuck me—"

"There's plenty of time for that later." Seto narrowed his eyes. "For now, your punishment—your very _slow_ punishment."

Joey whimpered, but he _did_ know that deep down, he really, _really_ did enjoy it.


	58. Heartfelt Apology

Author's Note: Follow-up to Excuses because I couldn't leave it at that. **:|**

* * *

><p><span>Heartfelt Apology<span>

Joey felt the brunet's arm wrap around his waist and sighed, reaching down to grab his wrist gently. "Seto…"

"Listen, I'm _sorry._"

"Ya told me t' take more cold showers," the blond muttered, feeling humiliated. "And after ya said that ya tried t' come on to me. Do ya have any idea how bad that made me feel?"

Seto grimaced. "I'm sorry. If you wanted me to have sex with you, why didn't you just tell me?"

Joey huffed, gripping his pillow tightly. "I tried. I asked ya if ya wanted t' fuck me, and ya told me you were okay just huggin' and kissin' me. I thought maybe we could talk about it, but ya shot me down before I could even argue. Ya told me t' take cold showers instead and that was the end of it."

"But _before_ that, Joey," the brunet sighed. "Why didn't you say something before that? Before all the nights you pawed me to try and get me in the mood, before you sent that freaking _vibrator_ here?" Seto sat up and scowled. "Did it ever occur to you that maybe I don't want sex not because I'm not interested in _you_ physically, but because I'm just not interested in sex in general?"

The younger boy turned to look up at him in confusion. "Huh?"

"I don't find the idea of sex appealing. Women and men have been throwing themselves at me for years and it's kind of turned me off to everything with anyone. I'm sorry that _you_ have to suffer for what other people did, but I'm just not…" Seto sighed again and ran a hand through his hair. "Well. I'm sort of disgusted to say it but whenever I think of sex—even with you—it just doesn't… turn me on."

Joey frowned as the brunet's face twisted into an expression of disgust. "Seto…"

"I'm sorry I never told you. I guess I thought that you could be just as happy with cuddling and kissing as I was. I was selfish and I'm sorry." He frowned and ran a hand through his hair again. "I guess I did sort of force myself to come onto you. I'm sorry. But… when I got that package, saw what was in it, imagined you using it… it didn't seem so bad. Because you were willing to pleasure yourself instead of begging me. And that was okay."

The blond blinked up at him and tilted his head. "You… were turned on by the thought of me touchin' myself? Not at the idea of us havin' sex?"

Seto shrugged awkwardly. "…Yeah."

Joey bit his bottom lip, then hesitantly, nervously asked, "Ya wanna watch me masturbate, Seto?"

The brunet blinked at him slowly, mouth falling open a little, before he nodded. "Yeah. Yes, I would." When the younger boy smiled at him, he couldn't help but smile back. "Do you forgive me then, for being such an insensitive boyfriend?"

Joey leaned up to kiss him lightly and traced his fingers down the brunet's chest. "Yeah. I guess I do, now that I know ya didn't wanna have sex with anyone instead of just not with me."

Seto grimaced. "Yes, well, I'm _quite_ sorry about that. We were obviously overdue for this discussion."

"Yeah. …So, uh, where'd ya put my vibrator after I left?"

The brunet tilted his head, then bit his bottom lip. "Please don't judge me."

Joey blinked. "…Depends on where ya put it." The blond gaped as the brunet reached over and pulled it out of the drawer of the bedside table, along with a tube of lubricant. "…Okay. I'll admit it. I'm judgin' ya a little."

Seto sighed. "I figured you would."


	59. Challenged

Challenged

Joey scowled and leaned his head back against the grass. "Are you mentally challenged or something?"

The human dressing himself nearby immediately turned to glare at him. "What did you just say?"

"That was _awful._ It's the worst sex I've had in years!"

When the human roared and lunged at him, unsheathing the knife he'd been about to belt around his waist, the nymph giggled and disappeared in a splash, trickling into the river nearby as the human began stabbing the mud he'd left behind.

Once he slid into the water, he was immediately grabbed. He squealed in surprise, then began laughing as calloused fingers danced over his sides. "Seto, Seto-! Stop it!"

The brunet purred and nuzzled his neck. "You smell like human. Why do you always steal my prey?"

Joey reached back to dig his fingers into the nix's hair. "Mm. You're gonna kill 'em anyway! Why not lemme have a bit of fun with 'em first?"

Seto huffed. "Because _I_ want to have sex with you, and I can't do that when you're already sated and you smell like human."

"I'm ready for another round if ya wanna give me one," the blond purred, arching his hips up against him.

The nix tilted his head, then sighed and released him. "No, the stench of human is just too much."

Joey frowned. "Aw. Come on. Please?"

"…Joey, I really don't like the scent of humans, and you reek," Seto sighed, drifting away slightly in the current. "Maybe some other time."

"But… but… your dick is bigger!" the blond whined. "C'mon, Seto, _please_?"

Seto hummed and closed his eyes. "No, not really in the mood anymore. I don't even want to drown that human. Maybe I'll just go play some violin or something."

Joey scowled and crossed his arms, bottom lip jutting out in a pout. "You're punishin' me for havin' sex with a human, aren't ya, ya jerk?"

"Punishing you would require you doing something wrong. I just don't care for the scent of humans." Seto smirked. "But if you wash the scent off by the time I finish playing my violin, _maybe_ I'll be in the mood again."

The nymph stared at him for a moment, then squealed and floated away in search of something to smother the scent of human clinging to him.


	60. Exhaustion

Author's Note: What is this I don't even?

* * *

><p><span>Exhaustion<span>

"Uhn! Uh! Hah! Ah! Seto! Seto, please-!"

Seto tilted his head and frowned, chewing on the cap of his pen, before turning to look over at the blond on his bed. "No, I don't think you've been punished enough."

Joey whimpered, trying to arch away from the machine that thrust the phallic object in and out of him, but the ropes tying his wrists to his ankles had no give at all. He could only mewl and bleat in desperation as he tried and failed to wriggle away from it, wings flapping frantically. "Seto, please, I'm so tired—and ya won't lemme cum-!"

"That's because you're a flighty little twit that can't be trusted on your own." Seto hummed and filled in one of the clues in his crossword puzzle. "Besides, this will leave you too exhausted to even _try_ to have sex with anyone else."

The blond whimpered and squirmed again. "But Seto, how'm I supposed t' have sex with _you_ if I'm exhausted?"

Seto blinked, surprised, then frowned, chewing on his pen-cap again. "Hmm. I never thought of that." He tilted his head and sighed, then shrugged and went back to his crossword puzzle. "Well, you can just lie there when I fuck you."

Joey whined. "But that would make me a disgrace t' all incubi!"

"Then do something. I don't care."

"Seto, just lemme go! I promise I won't have sex with anyone else ever again just please turn this stupid machine off!" Joey wailed, squirming wildly.

Seto huffed. "Like I'd take your word for it. Do you really expect me to believe you after I find you trying to seduce one of my maids?"

The incubus whimpered. "_No._"

"I didn't think so." The brunet turned to look at him again and smirked. "Once Yami comes by with that spell to bind you to me, _then_ I'll let you go," he promised, then stood and walked over to the bed.

Joey swallowed nervously. "What are ya doin'? Seto? _Seto_? WHAT ARE YOU DOING—_Nyeeeeeeee!_" He whimpered as the human began stroking his erection, unable to help a sob as he jerked his hips. "Please just lemme come!"

Seto hummed and traced his fingers down the blond's thigh, playing with the tail he'd wrapped around his leg and forced to stay there with only a piece of twine. "If you got your tail free, you might be able to free yourself from this machine. It's just a piece of twine. You must not be trying hard enough."

Joey struggled wildly to wriggle his tail, but the twine was wrapped around it too tightly. "Uhn! Please, Seto, lemme come just once—"

"Later," the brunet cut in. "I want you so exhausted you can't even move anymore." He grinned. "That way I can just lay you out on top of the spell circle and you won't be able to do anything but let it happen."

"'d get tired faster if ya let me cum," the blond whimpered. "Please-?"

Seto snorted. "I've got a couple of days to wear you out and a video camera pointed straight at you. Let me get this kink of having you trapped at my mercy for a little longer before I do something else."

"You're the _worst_," Joey moaned, eyes rolling back slightly. "If it weren't for your dick I wouldn't have kept comin' back. Jeez."

The brunet raised an eyebrow. "You mean my forcefully summoning you had nothing to do with it?"

"Very little. I choose who I'm summoned by." The incubus pouted. "But why'd ya need me when ya coulda had any human ya want?"

Seto huffed. "Because I need permission to do kinky shit with them, and none of them ever wanted to do it. As an incubus, I know you're up for anything kinky even if you've never done it before."

Joey rolled his eyes and sighed, nearly going crazy with need. "If ya let me cum, I'll crawl under your desk and suck your dick while ya work."

"…I—" The human paused, then sighed. "You got me."

"Good now take this cock ring off I wanna cum and I wanna suck your dick!" the demon exclaimed impatiently. "Jeez, hurry up!"

Seto grumbled to himself. How had he managed to summon such a greedy, crafty incubus anyway?


	61. Accuracy

Author's Note: ...I just wanted Joey to shoot Seto in the ass with an arrow. **:|**

* * *

><p><span>Accuracy<span>

"Ow!" Seto jerked slightly and turned, scowling. "Joey!"

Joey giggled, tucking his bow behind his back as the pink-feathered arrowed disappeared in bright shimmers from the brunet's behind. "Come on. Ya said ya expected me t' be more romantic!"

"I never wanted you to put one of your arrows in my ass!" the brunet exclaimed, glaring at him. "Gah! That doesn't even—Hmm." Seto blinked slowly, then made his way over to the blond, eyes glazing over as he placed his hands on the cupid's hips. "Have I ever told you how cute I think it is when you flutter your wings?"

The blond blushed a little and glanced away. "No, ya haven't."

"I think it's adorable." Seto brushed his lips over the cupid's cheek before catching his earlobe gently between his teeth. "Joey?"

Joey tilted his head to give him some room as he began to kiss his neck. "Hmm?"

"I'm going to beat the shit out of you once this arrow wears off," the brunet purred, nipping his skin lightly before beginning to make a hickey on his throat. "Or spank you. But I'm inclined to beat the shit out of you for using that arrow on me without permission."

"Ya wouldn't have let me use it if I'd asked," the cupid mumbled, hooking a leg over the human's hip. "It's just this once, Seto. And I'm sure you'd enjoy spankin' me more."

Seto rolled his eyes and growled, but with the effects the arrow had taken on him, spanking his lover really _did_ sound better than beating the shit out of him at the moment. "I suppose once this magic wears off, we'll see."

Joey pressed closer to him and cooed. "Yeah, well, hmm… At least be sure not t' hit my wings if ya decide t' beat me up…"

The brunet leaned back and scowled. "What sort of monster do you think I am?"

"Well it wouldn't be the first time a human tried t' break my wings," the cupid muttered defensively.

Seto was immediately infuriated. "Tell me who it was and I will go break their legs!"

Joey blinked at him, surprised, then remembered that a side-effect of the magic made him overly protective even as it made him more amorous. Smiling awkwardly, he answered, "He's already been taken care of."

"Oh." The brunet tilted his head, then began to kiss his neck again. "Alright, then." He pawed at the smaller boy's tunic and bit his neck lightly, then growled and pulled the blond's body closer to his. "I'm going to do incredibly filthy things to you, Joey."

The cupid covered his mouth to muffle a chuckle. Seto wasn't usually a talkative lover, so the idea that a little magic could make him chatty was almost too much. "Ya talkin' dirty t' me, Seto?"

Seto leaned back and scowled. "Of course I am. If it weren't for the fact that you had wings to fly, you'd be confined to the bed for days and have a distinct limp even longer." He paused, then leaned toward him and hissed, "You can blame your limp on your aim, though, Joey, because I'm certain I wouldn't be able to go nearly as long without your magic."

Joey shrugged. "I'm willin' t' deal with the consequences if you're willin' t' fuck me senseless."

Needless to say, Seto was willing.


	62. Irregular Orbit

Author's Note: I don't even... I'm sorry. **:|**

* * *

><p><span>Irregular Orbit<span>

Seto panted and tried to crawl out of the cave, feeling sticky and sore and exhausted. Just as he reached the grass outside, he heard a snarl and flinched. He looked up at the moon pink moon circling the large green one, cursing the irregular orbit of it. It only happened once every five years for a period of a month, and he'd never cared about it before, but that was before he'd mated with a fucking Draconian.

Hearing the blond storming up behind him, Seto stumbled to his feet and turned to face him, scowling. "Would it kill you to let me take a break?"

Joey sneered at him, lips curling back to expose sharp teeth before he let out a monstrous roar, his scaly black tail lashing wildly behind him.

Seto took a step back, gritting his teeth in disgust when he felt saliva from the roar land on his skin. He huffed and shot the blond another glare. "Joey, I need to leave—"

He didn't get the chance to say it would only be for a day or two so he could recover. Joey stepped forward and grabbed his throat, digging his claws into his flesh so hard that he could feel blood dripping down his neck and chest. He worried for a moment that the blond would rip his throat out.

That worry was immediately discarded when the blond turned and, using the grip on his throat, _threw him_ over his head and back into his den.

He grunted in pain as he hit the ground on his back, wheezing helplessly as he tried to get some air back into his lungs. "Guh…!" Seeing the reptilian alien approaching him and growing a bit frantic, he rolled into a sitting position and began shuffling backward with his arms and feet, knowing it would incite the blond's hunting instincts and not caring in the slightest in his desperation to flee. "Joey, wait—Joey, please, I just need to—wait a second, ple—_PLEASE!_"

Seto whimpered as he backed into the wall, feeling helpless and pathetic and weak, even as the blond's eyes glowed and he looked at him with obvious hunger. He was ashamed of begging, but he had no strength left to fight and even less of a will to hurt him, because his mate was in such a delicate state.

Joey got onto his hands and knees, snuffling against his throat roughly and making him flinch as his sharp teeth nicked the scratches he'd made when he'd thrown him. Seto saw a flash of red-brown before the blond suddenly ducked his head and captured his flaccid cock in his hot, wet mouth.

Seto immediately grabbed the long black horns extending from his skull to yank him up and gasped in pain. "Joey I can't _do_ it anymore!" He looked into the blond's eyes and flinched when he saw them filling with tears of disappointment. "Joey, I'm a human. I can't keep having sex like this—I will literally _die!_"

Joey let out a heartbroken bleat and pawed at him. When he saw this got no reaction from him, he turned, giving the brunet a wonderful view of his ass as he immediately reached back and began to finger himself.

"Joey, you don't need to—_Ugh!_" The human covered his face in frustration. "Joey, I can't keep going like this!"

The Draconian looked back at him and frowned, whining quietly, before the muddy brown-red brightened into furious crimson. He stood and, letting out a hurt, angry roar, began attacking the walls, ripping any pelts he got his claws on and crushing decorative bones and clay plates and bowls.

Seto flinched as he watched the blond destroy everything his touched, wondering if that would be his fate as well. After all, the Draconian was so angry that he'd even ripped apart the tapestry Seto had given him early in their relationship.

Once everything was destroyed, Joey turned toward him sharply, eyes still glowing red as his livid expression bored into him. Seto swallowed thickly as the blond roared at him again, hands curling into fists even though he knew that when push came to shove, he would never be able to do as much damage to Joey as he would receive from him.

Joey roared at him again, then sobbed, falling to the ground pathetically as his tail rubbed between his legs. He looked up at the brunet and whimpered, then squirmed toward him, nuzzling into his crotch.

Seto couldn't help the sigh of relief that escaped his lips when the Draconian only licked his pelvis, reaching down to delicately brush his hair out of his face. He'd wait for the blond to fall asleep (which didn't happen often during this period, but _did_ occur) and leave once he'd gotten him tucked into something warm.

He felt guilty about the anguish he'd cause when his mate woke up without him there, but he was certain that the blond would rather deal with a little neglect now rather than knowing he'd _literally_ fucked his mate to death.


	63. Cold Embrace

Author's Note: I don't know where I was going with this one. **:|**

* * *

><p><span>Cold Embrace<span>

Joey frowned and hugged himself, walking over to look out the frost-covered window. "You're _awful,_ Seto." He gasped and shivered as the temperature in the room dropped further, ice creeping across the window and blocking out the view—not that it made much difference, since all he could see was frozen tundra anyway.

Before he could even think to move, he felt the ice demon's arms slide around his waist, pulling him up against the brunet's hard, cold body. He gasped again and bit his bottom lip as he felt the brunet's hands slide down his body. "Oh-!"

"And just _how_ am I awful?" Seto hissed, stroking the tip of his index finger below the hem of the blond's pants. He smirked as the human shuddered against him, sliding his hand further down his pants to dance his chilly fingers over his pelvis.

"Ya won't lemme go-!" Joey gasped as the brunet's freezing embrace tightened and began struggling out of his arms. "Get off me-!" He turned to glare at him and hugged himself again. "Don't touch me!"

Seto frowned and crossed his arms as well. "Joey, your people gave you to me in return for protection. I don't _have_ to let you go. In fact, I could put you in chains and keep you in the dungeon, and I'd be well within my rights to do so."

"Yeah, well, I didn't wanna be your stupid gift!" The blond huffed angrily only to yelp when he felt something cold and slimy on his neck. "_Uhn!_"

The demon pressed him up against the wall, purring quietly as the human squirmed frantically against him. "You know, your struggles just arouse me more." He licked the blond's neck again. "It makes you taste _delicious._"

"Get off me ya fuckin' pervert I don't—Nn!"

"I'm sorry," Seto hissed, narrowing his eyes. "I meant literally. You'd be a little chewy and tough, but I'm sure the taste of your flesh will more than make up for it."

Joey stiffened and bit his bottom lip to keep from whimpering. "Ya really wanna eat me-!"

The demon purred. "Of course. And I could make a soup from your leftovers, and—Hey." He frowned when he saw tears running down the blond's cheeks and leaned back. "I was just kidding. I'm sorry." His brows drew together as the human sobbed and covered his face. "Hey, I said I was sorry. I didn't really mean it. What do you—"

"My life is the fuckin' worst!" the blond wailed. "That's the nicest thing anyone's said t' me in years and it's about how good I'd taste if ya _ate me!_"

Seto blinked. "What sort of monsters did you live with?" He jumped as the human began crying harder and took a step back in confusion. "Um—that is—I mean—" He squeaked in confusion. What did you say to a crying human to make them feel better? "…You're… very pretty?"

Joey sniffed and turned to look up at him. "Is that a statement or a question?"

The demon swallowed thickly. The blond _did_ look very pretty when he looked up at him like that. "…I'm… just going to… go roast a cow or something…"

The human's stomach rumbled loudly.

Seto stared. "…What."

"Uh, musta been somethin' I ate! Heh!" Joey covered his stomach and blushed. "I mean, they _did_ give me a lot of food before they brought me here, and—" His stomach rumbled again.

"…" Seto stared at him a little longer. "…Yes. Well. Hmm. Why not—Okay. Let's just…" He paused, then held his hand out to him.

The blond hiccupped and hesitantly reached out to grab it. "…'m sorry. 'm a terrible gift."

"…Considering that being told you'd be delicious to eat is your nicest compliment, it's probably not your fault," the demon replied, rolling his eyes. "Come on. I'll make something for you to eat."

"I'm not that hungry—" Joey began, frowning, but his stomach rumbled again, quiet loudly.

Seto turned to look at him skeptically. "…Of course you aren't."


	64. Frost

Frost

Serenity was a lot like her brother, Seto decided with the smallest of smiles. She had a warm, bubbly personality and a generally happy disposition. She was kind and pleasant and fun to be around. Of course, she didn't quite have the spitfire personality that Joey had, but she was quirky.

He didn't really understand why Joey hadn't wanted him to meet her. Perhaps he'd been worried that Seto would be more attracted to her because she was a girl. Well, if that was the case, Joey really shouldn't have worried, because Serenity didn't have the mean streak that Joey did—Joey wasn't cruel, but he certainly had a mouth on him that, if Seto was a lesser man, could have reduced him into a pathetic ball of depression. He liked knowing that Joey could dish out just as much verbal poison as he could.

Seto yelped as a hand suddenly gripped the collar of his shirt and yanked him painfully against the table they'd been sitting at. "Gack-!"

Serenity's eyes and voice were decidedly less warm when she spoke this time. "If you hurt my brother I swear that they will be finding teeny tiny pieces of you for decades," she hissed, and Seto could almost see the frost forming on her breath. "I will take you somewhere that they will never find you. They will not hear you scream, even as I slice the skin from your flesh. Two words, Seto Kaiba: POTATO PEELER."

Seto squeaked.

Serenity released him and smiled brightly. "Just a friendly warning. I think I'll go powder my nose."

Seto watched her go, eyes wide.

Joey returned from the bathroom, sighing as he sat down beside him. "So, what'd I miss—Where'd Serenity go?" Taking in the brunet's shell-shocked expression, he frowned. "She say somethin' t' ya, Seto?"

Seto squeaked again.

"Seto, you're goin' white."

"…I want to go home."

Joey stared at him for a few moments, then stated, "I told ya I didn't want ya t' meet my sister."

"I'm so sorry I insisted."

"Since ya started this, ya hafta finish it."

"I know."

"If it makes ya feel better, she can't do anymore t' ya while I'm here."

Seto reached out to grab his arm. "Please don't leave again."

Joey smiled awkwardly and patted his hand. "Yeah, of course."

Seeing the blond's little sister returning to their table, the older boy couldn't help tightening his grip on his lover's hand.

"Ngh-!" Joey grimaced but allowed the brunet to continue gripping his hand. He knew how scary his sister could be sometimes.


	65. A Moment of Time

A Moment of Time

_Nnh… Seto… help…_

Seto sat up abruptly and gasped, eyes wide as he remembered the way Joey had looked up at him in agony, gripping the bullet wounds that had dyed his shirt bright red. He turned quickly, horrified when he saw the bed empty. "Joey? Joey? _Joey?_"

He tossed his blankets off and stood, gasping as a sharp, hot pain ripped through his chest and shoulder. "Oh God-!" Tumbling to the ground, he let out a startled roar and gripped his chest. "Damn!"

"Seto?" Joey opened the door and stepped into the bedroom quickly, gasping when he saw the brunet on the floor. "Seto! Oh, God, what happened!" He rushed over to the brunet and helped him sit up, frowning. "Seto, ya ripped your stitches. Here, lemme go get—Ngh!"

Seto kissed him roughly, digging his fingers into the blond's thick hair. "Mmn… Mm—"

"Uhn-!" Joey gasped as the older boy broke the kiss and instead began attacking his throat. "Ugh, Seto, wha—"

"I thought I watched you die," Seto whispered, eyes squeezing shut tightly. He hugged him tightly. "I keep seeing that moment again and again. I thought you were gone. I woke up and you weren't here and I thought—I thought—"

Realizing that in his disorientation he'd thought that he'd died, Joey kissed his forehead lightly and gave him a tight hug. "Oh, Seto. It's okay. I'm fine. See?" He pulled back just enough to pull his shirt up, showing the puckered, stitched-up bullet wounds in his side and stomach. "See? I'm healin' up just fine. Seto, I need t' see your stitches, okay? Lemme see. They're bleeding."

Seto frowned, remembering the pain he'd felt when he'd stood up, then lifted his hand to touch the buttons on his shirt. "I-?"

Joey brushed his hands away and began to gently unbutton his shirt. "I'm sorry I was gone when ya woke up. I was goin' t' the bathroom."

"I thought you were gone," the older boy murmured, frowning. "I thought you'd died in my arms."

"Yuck, these are really bad," the blond muttered, delicately touching around the wounds that had ripped open. "Seto, come t' the bathroom with me so I can clean ya up and change your bandages."

Seto yanked him down into another kiss. "I'm so glad you're alive, Joey."

Joey smiled and kissed him again. "It was more touch-and-go with you, Seto. You were really hurt." He stood and offered the brunet his hands. "Come on. I'll help ya up and then we can go get ya healed up."

The brunet allowed him to help him to his feet. "I'm sorry. That was incredibly needy of me."

The younger boy giggled. "I dunno. It was pretty cute." He kissed the brunet's cheek and led him into the bathroom. "Don't worry, Seto, I'll take care of ya."

"…You remember that I said I didn't want to see a psychiatrist after the attack?" Seto asked after he'd sat down on the toilet seat. He flinched as the blond peeled the sticky bandages off. "Ugh."

"I remember," Joey murmured, frowning, as he pulled out the first-aid kit. He wet a cotton ball with hydrogen peroxide and began dabbing at the bleeding wound. "How's that feel?"

"Cold. In any case—I think maybe I should reconsider declining psychiatric care for a while." Seto frowned and tilted his head. "…Perhaps… I could see _your_ psychiatrist with you?"

The blond turned to look at him and blinked, then smiled. "I don't see why not. I complain about you a lot though, so don't get too mad."

"…I had to pay for my last girlfriend's psychiatric care after dating me too, so I don't really care…" the older boy mumbled, glancing away.

Joey's smile fell. "Ya really are a crazy bastard, ain't ya?"

"…Yeah…"

The blond sighed and rubbed his forehead, suddenly feeling quite tired. "Seto, why do I put up with ya?"

Seto frowned and scratched the back of his head. "…Because I'm cute?"

"…That must be it, otherwise I would never deal with your crazy shit," Joey replied, kissing his cheek again. "Raise your arm so I can get the bandages right. –But not too much, we don't want your stitches rippin' anymore than they are. We'll hafta go t' the doctor t' have him check 'em and make sure they're not gettin' infected…"

"…I wish I was unconscious for this. This is probably the most uncomfortable position I've ever been in," the older boy grumbled, arm halfway up and turned to the side to give the blond more room.

Joey nearly purred. "'s soon as yer all healed up, I can show ya some _really_ uncomfortable but satisfyin' positions."

Seto scowled. "I hate you."

The blond smiled brightly. "You get t' be crazy; I get t' be a tease!"

Seto continued to grumble to himself, but he admitted that the blond needed some sort of defense to his craziness. He supposed that being a tease was as good a defense as any.

Joey tied the bandages tightly and smoothed his hands over the wounds gently, smile fading a little. "…I'll try not t' be outta bed until you're awake, Seto. I can't imagine how upset ya were when ya woke up and I wasn't there."

"…You shouldn't have to schedule your bladder around my panic attacks," the brunet muttered.

"It's okay. I already said that I think it's cute. Besides, if it means healin' faster 'cause you're not rippin' your stitches, I don't mind." The younger boy leaned in to kiss him lightly. "Don't argue with me Seto because I will argue until we're both blue in the face and if ya don't let me win I will punch ya. Hard."

Seto opened his mouth, closed it, then sighed. "Okay."

Joey smiled. "Thank you!" He squeaked as the brunet grabbed him around the waist and dragged him into his lap. "Seto!"

"You're a tease and I can't even do anything about it without either of us ripping our stitches." Seto pressed a kiss to the blond's collarbone and sighed again. "You're the worst. Can't you at least tone it down until I can do something?"

The blond rolled his eyes. "I suppose I could try. This is gonna drive me batshit, though." 

"I'm doing it for your safety. You were shot in the stomach." The older boy frowned and traced his fingers over one of his wounds. "You okay?"

Joey huffed and grouched, "Yeah, I'm not the moron that ripped his stitches." When the brunet only glared at him, he leaned down to kiss him and sighed. "Let's go back t' bed, Seto."

"Alright." Seto kissed his collarbone again. "And I'll call the doctor tomorrow to look at my stitches. Okay?"

"And I'll ask my shrink if you can come. I don't know why he should say no, though. You're the one payin' him."

"Okay." Nuzzling the blond's shoulder, the older boy sighed. "I'm not against sitting here all night though."

Joey chuckled and cupped his cheeks to kiss him again. "You're cute, Seto, and while the idea of stayin' here all night is nice… Somethin' about the toilet just takes away from the experience."

Seto laughed and allowed the blond to slide off of his lap. "I suppose you're right. Fine, let's go to bed."

Joey paused a few minutes to wash his hands and put the first-aid kit away as the brunet went back to bed, smile fading. He hadn't been sure Seto knew just how close to dying both of them had been. Suddenly, he realized that Seto may have been _too_ aware.

He remembered the desperate, horrified sound of Seto's voice when he'd called out to him, becoming more and more frantic each time until he'd heard the thud of him hitting the ground. He never wanted that to happen again, never wanted the brunet's mind to think back to that moment in time when they'd been cornered by an assassin and shot before Seto's security team had gotten to them.

If he had to stay in bed all night for Seto's peace of mind, he didn't care. As long as he never had to hear him sound so upset again.


	66. Dangerous Territory

Author's Note: Extreme AU, I think. I don't know where I was going with this. **:|**

* * *

><p><span>Dangerous Territory<span>

Seto leaned against the wall of a building and groaned, clenching the wound in his left side. "Uhn… Damn it." He bit his bottom lip as he heard someone coming into the alley behind him, releasing his wound in favor of reaching for the gun holstered on his hip. He leaned against the wall a little longer before turning swiftly, swinging the gun up to point into his attacker's face.

The blond held his hands up quickly, frowning. "Hey, hey, I'm on your side."

"I sincerely doubt that," Seto spat, glaring at him. "Anyone that's on 'my side' knows that this is no man's land between territories. Anyone caught here is fair game, including higher-ups like me. I've ordered everyone under me to stay out of here and if they disobey me, they're on their own. You're not part of my gang. I would remember a pretty face like yours."

"…Alright, ya got me," the younger teen sighed, rolling his eyes. "I'm not on anyone's side. I just live here."

The brunet paused, then slowly lowered his gun. "A free agent then? Prove it."

"Uh…" The blond frowned and shrugged, suddenly appearing anxious. "Listen, ya got no right t' try t' tell me t' do anythi—Ngh!"

Seto grabbed his wrist and twisted his arm around quickly, scowling as he examined his forearm. Seeing a golden eye sharpied onto his skin, he jerked his glare up at him and hissed, "You're lying."

"They just put that on me t'day!" the blond exclaimed, ripping his arm free and stumbling backward. He hugged his arm to his chest and frowned. "…Said I'd be fresh meat. I don't wanna be part of Pegasus's crew. That guy's psychotic."

Seto snorted. "Every gang leader's psychotic. It's nothing new."

"His upper-level goons are the only ones that really listen t' him and their crew has no morals. Even the Thieves have morals, and they _murder_ people." The blond frowned and rubbed his arm, trying to rub from the permanent marker from his skin. "Ever since Pegasus's girl died, he's gone off the deep end. Nobody's safe here."

The brunet frowned. He'd heard that Pegasus's wife had died, but he hadn't had any idea that it had affected him so much. "And you're caught in the crossfire, hmm?"

"People have been tryin' t' recuit me t' their gangs for years. I just haven't found one that I can feel at home in yet." He frowned thoughtfully. "Well, every gang but the Dragons. But they're a high-class outfit and I'm sorta stupid. They probably wouldn't want me anyway…"

Seto tilted his head, reaching down to cover his wound again. "…Do you know the terrain well? Where people hang around? Where they avoid?"

The blond blinked at him in confusion. "Uh… yeah, anyone who's lived t' be my age does. Ya either learn fast or die fast."

"…This no man's land is quite large…" The older boy hummed, brows furrowing together thoughtfully. "And if one gang could gain control of it…" He paused, then reached out to grab the blond's arm and yank him closer. "You could help us do that."

The younger boy frowned and tilted his head. "And what makes ya think I wanna be part of your crew? For all I know, you're that crazy Seto Kaiba guy—the leader of the dragons—and I hear he's almost as bad as Pegasus!"

Seto blinked.

The blond stared at him for a moment, then immediately deflated. "Oh God why."

"I'm not that psychotic," the brunet grouched.

"You're not—I just—We couldn't—Hnn…" The younger boy frowned. "Ya gonna kill me if I say no?"

Seto hummed, raising his eyebrows, then smiled brightly—which he didn't realize was a terrifying expression on him. "I'll probably just seduce you until I get my way."

"…Just as bad as Pegasus with your morals," the blond muttered. He yelped as the older boy's other hand reached around and gave his ass a squeeze. "GAH! You're the worst!"

"Come home with me. I'll take care of this wound and then I can molest you properly." The brunet grinned. "There _is_ a proper way to do it, by the way."

"…Do I have a choice?" the younger boy asked sourly.

Seto tilted his head, frowning, then snorted. "Actually, no." Seeing a beat-up old car pulling up at the curb outside the alley, he twisted the blond around and dug the muzzle of his gun into his back. "Get in the car."

The younger boy hissed as he was immediately grabbed by a couple of men already in the car, arms twisted behind his back and tied tightly. He thought about threatening the brunet, but figured now wasn't the time, especially when he saw the large guns the other men were carrying.

He could bide his time. He really didn't mind.


	67. Boundaries

Author's Note: Follow-up to Dangerous Territory. Where was I even going with this? **:(**

* * *

><p><span>Boundaries<span>

Seto blew out a stream of smoke and reached over to exchange his used cigarette for another from the pack on his bedside table. Once it was lit and set firmly in his mouth, he pulled the blue pen from behind his ear and carefully sketched in a new boundary line, smirking when he saw how much territory he'd gained thanks to Joey's help. If it hadn't been for the blond's knowledge of the no man's land, he never would have been able to take control of what he had.

Turning to look down at the blond beside him, he smoothed his hand over the younger boy's side. "I'm ready to go again when you are, babe."

Joey hummed quietly and blinked his eyes open. "Hmm?" He yawned, then reached out and slid his hand down the brunet's chest. "Doncha ever sleep?"

"Why sleep when I can chart the growth of my territory?" Seto replied, pinching the end of his cigarette out and setting it in the ash tray. "After all, without you, I wouldn't have taken over this amount of no man's land."

The blond hummed again. "You're not gonna be in the mood when I tell ya a seeeecreeeetttt," he mumbled, reaching up to grab the brunet's pen.

Seto scowled. "I don't like secrets or surprises."

Joey drew a dashed line on the side of no man's land near to the brunet's. "The Pharaoh noticed what ya were doin' and got one of my friends t' give _him_ information on no man's land, too. He's taken control of this area here."

The brunet frowned, brows furrowing together thoughtfully. "Atem isn't much of a threat to me. We butt heads, but we're cousins—his honor code wouldn't allow him to really come after me."

"'nd the Thief King saw what you guys were doin' and grabbed another friend of mine. He's gotten _this _much territory."

Seto scowled. "Ugh, that annoying bastard just doesn't know when to keep to himself. Well, if I take this area here—"

"Already taken by Pegasus," the blond drawled, then covered his head with a pillow.

He listened to the older boy rage and rip the map apart and sighed. _'I've heard not t' let crazy stick its dick in ya but this is ridiculous. At least this crazy is hot and his dick is huge.'_ He yawned and scratched the bridge of his nose. "I heard ya have a card game scheduled with the other big guys. Can I come?"

Seto turned to glare at him. "And just why would you want to come?"

"'cause the other big guys are bringin' my friends an' I wanna see 'em." The blond huffed. "Ya kept me locked up in here and grilled me about no man's land for weeks. Ya only let me out t' see what had changed. I wanna see my friends, jerk-face."

The brunet was surprisingly more disgruntled at being called a jerk-face than he'd ever been offended by being called any other name.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto glanced at his cousin's lookalike and blinked, then took a second look. "…What am I witnessing?"

"That's my friend, Yugi," Joey grumbled, elbowing him in the side. "Stop bein' a jerk."

He blinked again. "…WHAT."

"And that's Ryou. Stop starin' at 'em, you'll make 'em uncomfortable!"

The brunet turned to glare at him. "_I'll _make _them_ uncomfortable?" He looked over at the girl standing just behind Pegasus and his right-hand man Croquet. "At least they only share the long hair."

"Yeah. She's pretty cute, huh?" Joey smiled at the girl.

She hesitantly smiled back, then ducked her head nervously when Pegasus turned to look at her.

Joey promptly grabbed the brunet's gun from its holster and shot both Pegasus and Croquet.

Seto's jaw dropped. "…What the hell?"

The blond slung an arm around his neck and smiled, poking him in the cheek with the muzzle of his gun playfully. "Hey, hey, ya wouldn't mind my sister comin' t' live with ya, would ya?"

"I—What—You—Did—How—" the brunet sputtered.

Joey scowled. "Oh come on. It's not like I killed 'em. They're still breathin'."

The girl looked down at the two wounded men worriedly. "Joey, Pegasus is foaming from the mouth."

"…Barely!" the blond added cheerfully.

Yugi scowled. "Joey, I thought you said you were finished with needless violence."

"…I wouldn't call this needless," Joey muttered, scowling, and lifted his other arm so that his little sister could hug him. "I was _quite_ upset when I heard that Pegasus chose _my sister_ t' be his no man's land buddy."

Seto yanked the gun from the younger boy's hands. "Will you stop hitting me in the face with this!"

"I'm glad you're okay, Serenity," Ryou said after a moment, smiling. "I was worried when I heard that Pegasus had chosen you as his insider as well." He glanced at his lookalike and smiled awkwardly. "I'd asked Bakura to get you to safety, but I see that Joey had it taken care of."

"'course I did. I'm her big brother, after all," the blond boasted, turning to kiss the top of her head.

Serenity smiled awkwardly. Her brother had just shot some people. However, Joey had lived in no man's land for much longer than she had, and she knew that it had affected him a lot.

Bakura smirked and ruffled Ryou's hair. "Wow, this guy is a pistol. Hey, if ya ever decide you wanna work for me, I'll always have a place open for ya."

Joey tilted his head, then shrugged. "Your dick's probably not as big as this guy's." As the rest of the group gaped at him, flabbergasted, he used the arm around his sister's shoulders to lead her out of the room. "You'll never believe the limo this guy has, Ren. It's awesome. And he thinks I don't know about the box of chocolates he has hidden in the fridge, but it wasn't that hard t' find—"

Atem began roaring with laughter, first grabbing Yugi to keep from falling but failing miserably and instead collapsed to the ground. "I think I'm dying!"

Yugi scowled. "This really isn't something to laugh about, Atem."

"He's just as psychotic as I am," Seto mumbled, scowling, then walked over to look at the two fallen men. "…We should probably go before anyone comes to check on what those shots were. They're still alive for now."

"…That kid was so spunky that I'm not even mad about the dick comment. Hey, bring him to our next card game," Bakura ordered, grinning.

The brunet stared at him, then turned toward the door. "I'm leaving now. I expect to _not _see you until next month. Oh, and let's not invite Pegasus next time. He'll probably appreciate being able to heal."

Atem continued laughing. "Oh gods it hurts!"

"This is why I didn't want to come," Yugi muttered, turning to stomp out a different door. "You're stupid when you're high. No more joints before card games."

"Asshole's probably right, though. Let's get out of here before someone comes to check—especially someone from Pegasus's gang," Bakura muttered, frowning. "That would be hard to explain."

Ryou stared at the still laughing man for a moment before whispering, "…I didn't know people got that happy when they were high."

"Come on, idiot. Nature hates a vacuum and if they find you here with these guys, you're not gonna get a trial before you're executed," Bakura sighed, grabbing the back of the man's collar and dragging him out. "I'm with your boy-toy, though. I know the Mary-Jane's the only thing that helps ya deal with Pegasus, but seriously, ya probably don't need as much as you hit."

"…I hope Joey's okay." Atem suddenly frowned. "Kaiba doesn't like it when other people grab his gun." His face twisted with glee. "Though I'm sure he wouldn't mind Joey grabbing his _other_ 'gun—'"

"That's it, I'm leaving you," Bakura stated, dropping him.


	68. Unsettling Revelations

Author's Note: Follow-up to At Peace, because we all know you were waiting for it.

* * *

><p><span>Unsettling Revelations<span>

"_Why would you do this to me!"_

"_You were never supposed to find out!"_

"_I have a fiancée and you're telling me you'll die without me!"_

"_You don't hafta leave her, you idiot! Just go home and forget ya ever saw me!"_

"_JOSEPH WHEELER I HATE YOU AND THE POSITION YOU'VE PUT ME IN!"_

"_JUST GO AWAY! I DIDN'T WANNA SEE YA ANYWAY!"_

Seto frowned and leaned his chin on his hand, staring down into his cup of coffee pensively. Joey would die without him—had planned on dying without a word to him.

It explained why he'd come onto him so suddenly, he realized glumly. Joey had needed someone to be a dominant mate and he'd filled that role. He'd been the mean to an end.

Joey would die without him.

Seto rubbed his eyes and sighed tiredly. Joey had been a very good friend, even after they'd stopped sleeping together. Knowing that he would cause the blond's death by not paying attention to him would weigh on him for years.

Feeling a pair of hands sliding into his hair, he moaned and tilted his head back. "Vivian, not now."

She hummed and nuzzled his neck gently. "What's wrong, darling?"

Seto frowned a little.

_Joey looked up at him and smiled, holding up a plate of hash browns. "I'm almost done makin' pancakes if ya wanna sit down!"_

_Seto sat down at the table and sighed. "…Mmh."_

_The blond immediately frowned as he brought the plate of hash browns to the table. "What's wrong, dragon?"_

"…_I don't know. Just tired, I guess," the older boy muttered, frowning._

_Joey tilted his head. "…Want a blowjob?"_

_Seto snorted. "A blowjob, Joey?"_

"_Just a quick one. I wouldn't wanna let the pancakes burn," the blond replied brightly. "'sides, you're not tellin' me what's wrong, so I'm just goin' with what I know!"_

Seto looked up and frowned. "Vivian, if I was having a bad day, how would you make me feel better?"

She blinked at him, then smiled. "I'd give you a massage and make a delicious dinner for you, of course!"

"…Hmm." The older boy snorted. "That's funny because you can't cook to save your life."

"Well, I'd hire someone else to cook it for me, then. But I'd give you that massage myself," she added, winking and giggling coyly.

Seto tilted his head. "You wouldn't ask me what was wrong?"

Vivian frowned. "Why would it matter? You'd be upset. I'd do my best to make you feel better."

"…Oh." The brunet looked down at his coffee again.

"_You've been down the whole week, dragon. Tell me what's wrong or stop moping," Joey ordered, scowling. "And if ya keep mopin' without tellin' me what's wrong, I'm revokin' blowjob privileges."_

"…_One of the character designs for the new game that came out was __**not**__ okayed by me. She's a __**hooker**__. This game is for __**ten-year-olds.**__ I feel like I'm promoting the showing of pornography to minors."_

"_Oh, I'm sure it's not that bad," the blond laughed, walking over to look at the file the brunet had been staring at. He paused. "…Oh. It __**is**__ that bad." He blinked, then laughed and smacked the older boy on the shoulder. "Sucks t' be you then!"_

"…_That's it? It just… sucks to be me?" Seto asked in disgruntlement._

_Joey frowned. "What else do ya want me t' say? I don't know anything about your business. But hey, word of mouth from the kids that have it will have __**all**__ the kids buyin' it, just t' check it out. …Then again, maybe that's just me. I was watchin' porn by the time I was twelve," he muttered, frowning as he wandered back over to the puzzle he'd been putting together._

Joey would die without him. Quirky, fun, clueless Joey who knew how to cheer him up or cool him down would _die._ Joey, so full of life and spunk would be _gone._

"_I should probably get married. It's what everyone's expecting, and I do need an heir to the company." Seto played with the strands of the blond's hair and marveled at how soft it was—like he always did when he played with his hair._

_Joey blinked slowly. "Oh. What does that mean for us, then?"_

_The brunet paused. "…Well, I can't really risk looking like a player and date two people at once." He tilted his head. "And this was all just sex, wasn't it?" He noticed the blond's expression losing the warmth it had, but for some reason, he didn't look upset—just resigned. "So we'll just go our separate ways."_

_Joey sighed. "Oh, I see." He smiled—it didn't look forced, but there wasn't any real happiness behind it. "Yeah, alright."_

Joey had decided to die at that moment rather than fight for a relationship—and his life.

And he didn't want to lose such a selfless person when Joey had been the only one to treat him as a lover rather than a personal bank that happened be a good fuck.

Seto slammed his hands on the table and snarled, "I'm going to kill him myself!"

Vivian shrank back a step, startled. "Kill who-?"

"Just—_him!_" the brunet growled, scowling. He turned toward the woman and sighed. "…Vivian, you haven't signed that prenup yet. Why is that?" He gave her a moment to sputter before he continued, "Either sign it or get out. I don't have time to waste on you when there are other people willing to sleep with me _and_ sign that prenup."

"Wh—Hu—You cold-hearted asshole!" she shrieked, glaring at him. "Did it ever occur to you that I love you?"

Seto leaned toward her and snorted derisively. "My dear, if you loved me, you'd have signed that prenup days ago. Besides, I already heard you tell one of your friends that you were taking birth control and had no intent of having children any time soon. Your ability to bear children was the only reason I even started dating you."

Vivian sputtered in both confusion and rage. "You tapped my phone?"

"I tapped _my_ phones in _my_ home. You're the idiot that used them." As she fumed and gripped her hands into his fists, he smirked and added, "Mokuba was right. You're not even that pretty."

Vivian let out an angry screech and lunged at him.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"I've heard chicken soup can work wonders for the ill," Seto commented, dragging a chair over to the blond's bed and sitting down. He opened the plastic container he'd brought. "Don't make me be an airplane or a choo-choo and just eat it yourself, please."

Joey groaned and turned to look at him, tired eyes snapping open when he saw the scratches on the brunet's cheek. "Seto, what happened t' your face-!"

"My fiancée didn't appreciate being told that she wasn't pretty," the brunet drawled. "She wouldn't sign the prenup anyway. It's not a real loss." He lifted the plastic bowl. "Soup?"

"…So you're… _not_ gettin' married?" the younger boy whispered, brows furrowing together in confusion. "But ya said ya wanted a baby, and she—"

Seto promptly shoved a spoonful of soup in his mouth. "You just happened to mention being able to provide me with an heir yourself, Joey."

"But the public wouldn't like—"

Seto shoved another spoonful into his mouth. "When have I ever cared what the public thinks of me?"

Joey glared at him and grumbled as he forced himself into a sitting position. "You're such a—Hnn!" He swooned slightly as his vision swam, and he was certain he would feel his skull thud against the wall, but then he felt the brunet catch him, pulling him to his chest swiftly. "Uhn-!"

"You're still awfully weak," the brunet muttered, cupping hic cheek in concern. "I'll have to fix that." He wiped a little bit of soup from the corner of the younger boy's mouth with his thumb. "You'll be okay."

The blond sighed and leaned into his touch, eyes fluttering shut as his body recognized its mate. "Seto, I mated with ya without ya knowin' for _life_."

"You did," Seto agreed. "I must admit that I'm a little upset that you would be so underhanded, but I understand why you did it now." He brushed his lips over the blond's cheek and couldn't help a smile when he sighed and pressed closer to him. "I should be furious, I know. But I had quite a revelation earlier and decided I could live with this."

"Ya realized your fiancée—"

"_Ex_-fiancée."

"—Ex-fiancée wasn't pretty enough for ya anymore?"

Seto paused, then quietly replied, "No, it was more that I realized that the one person who has ever treated me like a person decided that he'd stand aside and let me pursue what I thought was best for me. Joey, I don't want to lose you."

Joey's eyes blinked open slowly. "Seto, I don't want ya t' feel like ya _hafta_—"

"I don't feel like I have to. I want someone who will let me have my space but still have enough backbone to give me an ultimatum." The brunet kissed him lightly. "Someone who will allow me to keep to myself but will also make me open up when I need to, even if I don't want to." He paused, then chuckled quietly. "Someone who thinks that blowjobs are suitable currency in a relationship."

"I gave ya awesome blowjobs," Joey mumbled, frowning. "Ya sayin' that when I said ya wouldn't get a blowjob, that didn't mean anything?"

"I just thought it was cute that you thought you could control me with blowjobs," the older boy cooed. "But you're right. You were pretty good at those." He stroked the blond's cheekbone idly, then sighed and helped him to lie back down on the bed. "I realize it's taken you several years to get into this state, but how long will it take you to get completely healthy again?"

"…With constant exposure t' ya, maybe a couple months. I'll get a lot better in the first and second week, an' the rest would just be improving 'cause of the way I did it. But you're busy, and—" Joey scowled as the brunet pulled out his phone and began typing. "Ya hate when people text in front of _you,_ asshole, so why do ya think ya get t'—"

"I'm taking the next two weeks off," Seto declared. "And once you're healthy enough, I will be moving you back into the mansion."

The blond huffed. "Don't I get a say in this?"

"Did I get a say in mating for life?" the brunet deadpanned.

The younger boy frowned awkwardly. "…Blowjob?"

"Joseph Wheeler, you are the worst. You're not even capable of giving me one and yet you're trying to bribe me." Seto hummed thoughtfully. "…Maybe when you're healthier. Until then, please just stick to puppy eyes so I don't feel like taking advantage of you."

Joey smiled a little. "I think I can handle that."

"Why do you like giving me blowjobs so much anyway, you freak," the brunet mumbled, crawling onto the bed and cuddling up behind him.

"'cause for that brief moment of time, I am in control. I have the power t' give pleasure or bite your dick off," the younger boy replied, yawning. "If ya piss me off, I might bite ya."

Seto frowned. "That's not very romantic. But it does make sense." He shuddered at the thought. "Remind me of that whenever I start to make you too angry."

"Of course, Kaiba," Joey sighed, enjoying the warmth of the brunet at his back. "I'll try not t' forget."

Seto had the unsettling feeling that Joey would be using this against him.


	69. Shattered

Author's Note: Follow-up to Slow Down. Seto is still a creepy bastard. **:(**

* * *

><p><span>Shattered<span>

"Uhn… Fuck…" Joey hugged himself and bit his bottom lip as he stared at the pieces of shattered glass around him. "What did I do wrong?"

Seto traced his finger over the chalk on the wrought-iron mirror frame. "You put a scry-rune where you should have put a time-rune." He smirked and turned toward the blond. "You've finally made your mistake, Joey, and I'm ready to take you back to my domain."

Joey dodged his hands and stumbled to his feet, rushing to the door of his room. He yanked at the knob frantically and shivered as the demon cackled, spinning to face him and pressing up against the door. "Stay away from me-!"

"I told you what I'd do as soon as I had the opportunity," the brunet purred, advancing on him. "It's been quite a while since you summoned me, Joey. Perhaps I should punish you for it."

"It's only been a week and a half-! _No!_" Joey ducked his hands again and ran toward the window, but ice crept over the glass and wood, locking the window in place. He turned to face the demon and gasped as the brunet grabbed him by the shoulders and slammed him into the wall. "Seto-!"

Seto pressed his face into the blond's neck and moaned. "You smell delicious. I want to eat you up. Take your clothes off."

"Nngh-!" Joey jerked in his grip, trying to escape, even though he knew he couldn't. "Lemme go!"

"But Joey, I already told you that I'd be taking you to the immortal plane." The brunet growled and dug his claws into the human's side, beginning to gently kiss and nibble his neck. "Don't you want to see it?"

"_No!_" Clawing frantically at the wall for anything he could get his hands on and use as a weapon, his fingers closed around a single claw from a dragon that had been pinned up as a trophy. Ripping it from the wall, he jammed the claw into the demon's chest and lunged away from him.

Seto stumbled to a stop, stunned, even as he felt white-hot fire travelling from the wound to the rest of his body. He whined, scrabbling wildly at the claw but unable to touch it as it burned the flesh from his fingers. Letting out a bellow of agony, he turned confused, hurt eyes on the blond staring up at him in horror, whispering, "Why would you do this to me?"

Joey didn't even have a chance to respond before the demon seemed to break apart before him, the tiny pieces flying back through the pieces of the broken mirror to the immortal plane. The claw he'd used to protect himself clattered to the ground uselessly.

"…Seto-?" Hesitant to believe that the demon was truly gone, he crawled over and looked into one of the larger pieces of glass.

Seto was hurriedly scurrying away, running on his hands and feet and tail tucked up against his stomach. He dodged slaps and kicks from other demons as he ran by, getting jeered and laughed at until he finally took refuge in a small cave. Only once he was deep against the back of it did he still, lifting his hands to examine them sadly.

Joey's breath hitched as he saw bloody burns on his fingers down to the bone, the skin of his palms torn to ribbons. The demon pulled his shirt aside to examine the stab wound, which had been burned shut by the power the claw emitted. He whined, then curled up in a ball on the floor, looking so lonely and sad that the human felt his heart wrench a little bit.

As if sensing he was being watched, Seto glanced up, frowned, then turned so he was facing the back of the cave.

Joey stood, frowning, then reached toward the mirror frame and wiped the chalk away, making the scene in the shattered mirror fade away. Then, he turned to look at the dragon claw, grimacing when he saw the blood and skin still stuck to it.

He sighed. He needed to clean everything up before someone came and saw what he'd done. He didn't want to be scolded after what he'd just been through, especially since he couldn't get the demon's broken whisper out of his head.


	70. Bitter Silence

Author's Note: This is a direct follow-up to Shattered. Also, I only posted this because I was too far in to scrap it after someone _rudely demanded_ that I continue it. How dare you people think you have the right to demand anything from me? I do not mind anyone politely asking/hoping that I'll continue a story, but SERIOUSLY. Demanding does not make me work faster and it definitely does not drive me to do what you want. Be glad that the review came after I'd finished half of this already, otherwise you could have been waiting forever.

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><p><span>Bitter Silence<span>

Seto felt a tingle up his spine, sensing that he was being summoned. He tilted his head, then reached out to instead move his queen. "Checkmate."

"Wha-!" Atem stared at the board in confusion. "But I just—HOW!"

"And I thought _I_ was a sore loser," the brunet mumbled when the other demon promptly flipped the board.

Atem huffed. "Aren't you being summoned? Why don't you go?"

Seto paused to examine the bandages around his fingers, then frowned, clenching his fist over his chest where he'd been stabbed. "…And give him a chance to destroy me completely? I'll pass."

The other demon frowned. "…You're afraid of him?"

"…I thought he loved me at least a little bit. But he had no trouble stabbing me with a dragon's claw," the brunet muttered. "I was wrong. I'll heal, and then I'll go home. I'm finished with humans. They're craftier than demons in some ways, and sneakier. You know this isn't the first human that's hurt me. It will just be the last."

Atem watched him for a few minutes, then huffed. "You're disgusting, human-lover."

"You're the one that uses the crystal ball to see what the humans are doing," Seto shot back, glaring at him. "Besides, humans are more fun to fuck."

"Of course they are," the other demon spat in disbelief.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey frowned when Seto failed to respond to his summon and checked to make sure he'd made the symbols right. After double and triple-checking, he decided that yes, all of them were. He looked into the circle hopefully, wondering if maybe he just had to muster up the energy to come after being injured. "Are you coming, Seto?"

Usually, the brunet could hear him, and would respond with an echo through the ring, especially if he'd gotten caught up in something before he came.

The bitter silence that filled the room instead of the demon's smooth voice spoke volumes.

Joey bit his bottom lip, pulling his powers back from the chalk symbols. That wasn't working at all. He checked the symbols one more time, then looked at his fingers. Perhaps it was time for him to take drastic measures now.

Pulling a small pocketknife from his pocket, he slid the knife over the tip of his right index finger, flinching a little in pain. "Ouch." Squeezing the end of his finger until the blood welled up, he reached out to carefully trace over the chalk, flinching again as the chalk smeared into the wound. It hurt, but he wanted to see Seto and apologize. He'd had no idea that the dragon claw would hurt him like that.

He even made multiple mistakes in case Seto was angry with him, because he felt so guilty after what he'd done that he didn't mind if the demon crushed his bones. Anything would be better than just sitting there feeling guilty.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Oh, he's using blood summoning now," Atem stated in surprise as he watched runes painted in blood appear on the brunet's skin.

Seto grunted and reached out to move his bishop. "Checkmate."

"Wha-! But—I—FUCK!"

The brunet huffed as his cousin flipped the board again. "Why do you continue to play this game if you're such a sore loser?"

"BECAUSE I WILL EVENTUALLY WIN!" Atem roared, glaring at him, then crossed his arms and scowled. "…Someday… I will win…"

Seto scratched at one of the blood runes on his arm, frowning. "You want to try again, or do you want to play something that you can actually beat me at?"

The other demon grumbled and went to collect all of the pieces. "Didn't it take the blood of three virgins to forcefully remove you from this plane and bring you to the human plane?"

"Yes. And of course, Joey is far from a virgin, so he couldn't hope to summon me on his blood alone." He looked down at the runes on his arms. They were quite light—so pale they were almost pink. Shrugging slightly, he set the board back on the table between them. "Will you _please_ stop flipping my chess set?"

"I'll stop when I win!"

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey could sense that his blood had made some sort of difference, but it wasn't enough. "Uhn…" He looked at his fingers, all of them cut and bleeding, then looked down at the summoning circle. He'd covered the chalk with blood, but it still wasn't enough.

His eyes trailed down his palms, then down to his wrists. Perhaps… perhaps if he used a little more blood. Maybe then it would be enough. He realized that Seto was powerful, but maybe…

Gritting his teeth as he dug the point of the knife into his wrist, he groaned quietly. "Ouch ouch ouch-!" He grunted as the knife jerked from his skin, splattering blood across the circle. "Damn." It had smeared the circle—not that he cared. Maybe Seto would come and break out of the safety part and exact revenge.

Maybe he'd sense that he wanted to see him.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"…Say it."

Seto grimaced.

Atem glared at him. "_Say it._"

"…Checkmate."

"GRAH!"

The brunet sighed as he watched the other demon flip the board again. "Can we play something else, please? Checkers, cards… tic-tac-toe, even. Just not chess."

"Absolutely not! I almost beat you this time!" Atem began, then frowned, surprised. "Hmm. Maybe he did find an extra virgin lying around somewhere."

Seto blinked, then looked down at his arms, frowning when he saw the blood-runes getting darker. "Joey isn't the type that would sacrifice someone, even if he did want to see me."

The runes were getting darker still.

Seto didn't want to care anymore, but he had to admit that he was worried. Joey really wasn't the type to sacrifice anyone, and he could tell by the darker sheen of the blood that it wasn't from a virgin.

Atem frowned as the brunet stood. "What, too afraid that you'll lose this time?"

"You were only so close to winning because I _let_ you," the other demon replied, smirking as he disappeared in a few sparks. The last thing he saw before he appeared on the mortal plane was his cousin's gaping mouth as he turned into his demon form and attempted to eat him.

When he arrived in the blond's room, he blinked. Somehow, the stench of blood didn't excite him as it usually would. …The stench of blood-!

Looking down at where he was standing, he shifted awkwardly as he found himself standing in a puddle of blood. "—Shit!"

He knelt quickly and grabbed the blond's shoulders, frowning when the human's head lolled bonelessly as he lifted him into a sitting position. "Joey?" He felt something trickling down his leg and looked down, whining quietly when he saw blood dripping from the blond's wrist and onto his thigh. "Joey, what have you done?"

"Hmm… 'm… sor… ry…" Joey whispered weakly.

Seto carried him to the bed. "Don't talk. Save your strength." He looked at the blond's wrist and whined again when he saw how violently it was torn open. He placed his hand over the wound but still felt blood trickling out from under his hand. "…Joey, why?"

"D'n't mean t'… t' hur' ya," the human whimpered. "W's scared. D'n't wanna be… be owned… Wan'ed t' be… be equals…"

"Joey, you…" The demon whined again. "Why do you humans do this to me? Why do you continue to make me care about you and then die?"

Joey's lips quirked up into a sad smile. "'least I saw ya 'gain, S'to." He let his eyes drift closed. "J'st wan'ed t' say… 'm sorry… G'bye…"

Seto let out an anguished roar. "YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO DIE UNTIL I GIVE YOU PERMISSION TO DO SO!" He shook the blond roughly, freezing when he felt the human's shoulder bones crack and break under his grip. He loosened his grip, leaning down to kiss him lightly, then rubbed his cheek over the younger boy's neck. "How do you make me care so much and still make me so angry…?"

There was still the smallest of heartbeats. The blood trickling from the human's wrist had slowed, but still flowed.

He still had time.

Ripping the blond's shirt open, he slid his claws over his body gently before digging them into his flesh and hurriedly slicing runes into his skin. He muttered some demonic words before leaning down to sink his teeth into the blond's throat. He felt the blond's neck pulse once, twice, three times—before his heart stopped beating completely.

A moment later, his heart began hammering harder than he'd ever felt it beat, and a surge of powerful magic forced the brunet away, slamming into the opposite wall with a startled yelp as blood poured out of his mouth. He wiped his chin awkwardly, as he hadn't been able to release the human's throat before he'd been forced away, so he'd ripped it open. He hoped that wouldn't alter his transformation.

Joey's body arched upward violently, the bones in his shoulders cracking and popping as they were forced to heal. A scream ripped from his throat as the runes cut into his body erupted with light.

Seto covered his eyes and flinched, his sensitive eyes burning in pain. He couldn't see what was happening anymore. All he could hear was popping and cracking—and the blond's agonized screams.

All at once, it ended. The light faded, the screams silenced, and the blond's body went limp on the bed.

Seto was almost afraid to approach him. What if it hadn't worked? Joey had died so soon after he'd bitten him. Usually it took several minutes to transfer magic, and he'd poured it all into him in seconds. What if he'd used too much power too quickly and it had overloaded his senses?

…What if he touched him and found he was stiff and cold?

He delicately touched the blond's cheek, frowning. "Joey…" He sighed. It hadn't worked. Joey had no horns to speak of, and even the youngest demons had stubs.

Seto yelped as something slid around his knee and looked down swiftly. "What the-!"

It was a tail. A long, black tail extending from underneath the blond's body. Turning the smaller boy onto his side quickly, he gasped as he saw something fluttering beneath his shirt and ripped the back of it open, too. "Oh. …Well, damn," he whispered, frowning, as he saw the tiny black wings fluttering lightly.

Winged demons were rare and well-known for being amorous. He should have known what the blond would turn into.

Sighing quickly and rolling his eyes, he slid his arms under the blond's knees and back, turning to step back into the summoning circle so he could leave and take the new demon with him. After all, the mortal plane was no place for a demon—and Joey no longer fit the description of human.


	71. The True You

Author's Note: Have you ever looked at one of these prompts and just wondered, "What the fuck do I even do for this?" Yeah. **:|** That just happened to me.

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><p><span>The True You<span>

"Seto, get off me," Joey grumbled, frowning. "Why ya always tryin' t' get in my pants?"

"Because that's the only time I get to see your true self," the brunet whispered, catching his earlobe between his teeth and nibbling it playfully.

The younger boy huffed and elbowed him in the stomach. "Oh, please! I'm always me, asshole!" He gasped as the brunet immediately retaliated by grabbing his wrists and slamming him against the wall. "Ow!"

Seto purred, "I beg to differ, puppy."

"And just how am I different when we're havin' sex?" Joey snarled, glaring at him. He yelped as the brunet dipped his head and began nipping and licking his neck. "Set'!"

"When we're having sex, you become this needy, selfish creature that I can't help but give everything to. You're greedy—you want me and only me, and you never want to share me. You're completely dependent on me, too—you know only I can give you the pleasure that you so desperately want—so desperately _need—_" When the blond whimpered, Seto grinned. "They're parts of you that you don't show anyone else, pretending that you're content with what you have and that you don't need anything from anyone. But _I_ know differently. And you _like _that I know that."

The blond swallowed nervously. "Seto, I—I don't need anything! I'm perfectly capable of—_Ngh…!_" He shuddered as the older boy's hand slid between his legs and rubbed his crotch. "Seto!"

"You can touch yourself, sure. Even masturbate with a toy. But you know that none of that will ever be able to compare to _my hands_—" Seto slid his other hand up the blond's shirt, certain that he wouldn't fight anymore, and gently tweaked one of his nipples. "—Touching you so intimately."

Joey felt tears forming in his eyes with shame. "…I don't need anything from ya," he whispered weakly. "I'm fine by myself."

Seto paused, then leaned back, frowning. "Joey?"

The blond sniffed and looked up at him, and it was in that short moment that he saw the reasons that sex was the only time the younger boy felt safe being vulnerable before him.

He saw pride continually cracked by his friend's expensive gifts when he could only afford small purchases or handmade things. He saw terror that he would be left behind again as his friends went on to do other things. He saw the resignation of being cast aside again because he somehow knew that Seto would find someone else.

It didn't matter that his friends loved whatever gifts he gave them, because he was so good at picking gifts they'd like. It didn't matter that his friends would never leave him behind, because they could tell that he was self-destructive if he didn't have anyone nearby to make him feel like he belonged. It didn't matter that Seto didn't want anyone else and only wanted him.

Joey's vision of the world had been skewed by abandonment, neglect, and abuse.

And Seto didn't know if he could do anything to fix it.

Joey blinked as the brunet pulled him into a hug, a single tear rolling down his cheek. "…Seto?"

"I love you," Seto murmured, nuzzling into the blond's neck. "Please never forget that."

"…I love ya too," the younger boy replied, still a little surprised and confused. "Seto, wha—"

The brunet leaned back and smiled slightly. "Just thought that maybe the you that you don't like me to see would appreciate it."

Joey blinked again, then promptly stated, "You're stupid."

Seto chuckled and leaned in to kiss him. "I think you've said that before."

"You'd think you'd take the necessary steps t' stop it," the blond commented, frowning. He wiped the tear from his face and huffed. "Jeez, I'm such a pussy sometimes."

The older boy tilted his head. "You're more of a puppy than a pussy, I think."

Joey scowled. "Now you're _really_ stupid."

"Puppy, you wound me."

"I just call it like I see it."


	72. Pretence

Author's Note: I've been waiting so long to be able to use this idea I'm so excited to write it out even if it's not as long or detailed as I'd like! It's sort of vague, but maybe I'll expand on it in a later chapter. **:3**

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><p><span>Pretence<span>

Joey leaned his head on his hand and sighed, tapping the newspaper with his index finger in thought. The headline was alarming, to say the least. He turned to look over at Mokuba, who was staring into his cup of coffee and hiccupping quietly as he struggled to do his homework. Turning back to the newspaper, he sighed and read the headline again.

_**Kaiba Rape Trial Continues—**__More scandals arise as the case goes on_

Obviously, someone was working very hard to make the pretence of Seto being a bastard terrible enough to rape someone stick. He knew that the elder Kaiba would never rape anybody—if only because he was too classy for that, and he could always find someone else to fuck if someone did refuse him.

He stared hard at the picture of the victim, wondering where he'd seen her face before. She looked very elegant, if not a bit haunted. Perhaps he'd seen her at one of the Kaiba brothers' parties. Somehow, though, that didn't fit. He'd seen her elsewhere, he just… couldn't put his finger on it.

"She's not even that good-looking," Mokuba muttered viciously.

Joey glanced back over at him, hissing angrily when he saw the younger boy scribbling on another newspaper. "I thought I told ya not t' look at those! They're only gonna upset ya!" He stood and walked over to snatch the paper away from him. "You're already suspended from school for beatin' up a classmate."

"I just don't understand why Seto would mess around with such a skanky whore!" the younger boy exclaimed, tears forming in his eyes.

"Jeez, kid, calm the fuck down," Joey snapped, folding the newspaper up, before he caught sight of the scribbles the younger Kaiba had drawn onto the supposed victim's face. He stared at it for a moment before he remembered what Mokuba had said. "…A skanky whore…" He stared at the picture, covering the mustache and fangs with his thumb to instead look at the colored-over eyelids. "…FUCK!"

Mokuba turned to watch him stomp to the door, frowning. "What-?"

"Where would I find your brother today? At his office?" Joey asked, pulling on his jacket. "He's out of court now, right?"

The younger boy blinked. "Uh… Yeah, I think so. Why-?"

"Call your brother and tell him that I'm on my way t' talk t' him. Tell him I know somethin' that'll help his case. –Tell him I think I know what's goin' on now-!" the blond demanded, scowling, as he pulled on his shoes. "Fuck this."

"But Joey, what—" Mokuba began, but then the older boy stormed out of the apartment and slammed the door shut. So, sighing, he pulled out his cell phone and called his brother.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"I'm sorry, sir, but you can't go in there-!"

Seto looked up as his door slammed open and sighed. "Today's standards would require that you wait outside until I tell my secretary that you may come in."

Joey turned toward the small woman and hissed, unable to help the small feeling of glee as she flinched backward in horror, then slammed the doors shut just as violently as he'd opened them. Turning back to the brunet, he stalked over to the desk and slammed the paper down on top of it, scowling. "I don't know what the hell's goin' on, Kaiba, but I never woulda thought ya were this _cheap!_"

Seto's mouth opened, but nothing came out. He was simply too shocked and confused to respond.

Joey continued, "What's the matter? Did she up the price after ya finished? Did ya just stiff her? What reason would she have t' cry rape if ya paid her?"

"…_What are you talking about?_" the brunet growled.

"Uminako Yuri is a _hooker!_" the ex-thug roared.

Seto stared at him for a moment, then stood, expression darkening. "What did you just say?"

"Uminako Yuri is a hooker!" the younger boy repeated, scowling. "I watched her case the same territory my gang used t' run in and I've seen her walk off with tons of Johns! Did ya stiff her or somethin', Kaiba?"

"It wasn't like that!" the brunet snapped, scowling. "She just wanted sex! I wore a condom! It was consensual! She didn't say she was a hooker and she didn't ask for any payment!"

Joey blinked at him for a moment, stunned, then frowned. "…You… she didn't… She always asked for half upfront and half afterward," he muttered thoughtfully. "I haven't seen her around lately, either, and I never see her daughter anymore. Somethin's up."

"…Would you be willing to testify to that on a witness stand?" Seto asked after a moment.

Joey glanced up at him sharply. "My word against hers? And what good would that do ya, idiot? I'm a former thug. What is my testimony gonna do for ya?"

"An ex-thug's word against a hooker's? I have no idea. But it would be better than being hammered by the prosecutor." Seto sighed and sat down, frowning. "I need to be found not guilty, Joey. I need to get through this. My company is suffering for this and if I go to jail, I don't want Mokuba inheriting a mess. Please. Anything would help."

The blond frowned. "…You called me Joey."

Seto blinked. "…Yes."

"…And ya said _please._"

He frowned in annoyance. "_Yes._"

"…What if they start askin' me about your character? I'm not gonna lie. Everyone knows you're an asshole," Joey stated.

Seto scowled. "I don't know whether I should say 'thank you' or 'fuck you,' Wheeler."

Joey huffed. "Isn't fuckin' what got ya in trouble in the first place!"

"On second thought, I don't want you anywhere near the witness stand," the brunet sighed, leaning his head in his hand. "You'll bury me."

The younger boy glared at him. "Oh, shut up, Kaiba. I just wanted t' come tell ya your victim's a hooker."

Seto covered his face in frustration. "Go away."

"Fine, I don't like ya anyway," Joey spat, turning to go.

"—Shit, wait, talk to my lawyer. He'll figure something out." The brunet sighed again. "I can't tell if this is a godsend or a curse."

"…Both," the blond muttered, glaring at him.


	73. Patience

Author's Note: What? Valentine's Day? WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN! D**:** You can tell I'm single. **:|**

* * *

><p><span>Patience<span>

Joey gripped the bars to his cell and pressed up against them, frowning. "Seto, I want to get out of here. Please, just lemme out."

"You have to be patient. You only have to stay in here a few more days," Seto sighed, turning his gaze away so he didn't have to see the heartbroken expression on his lover's face. "It's your own fault you're in here, Joey. You started a fight with that foreign diplomat on purpose. I couldn't just let that go unpunished; you could have started a _war._"

"He thought I was your whore!" the blond spat, heartbreak and hurt quickly turning to jealousy and rage. "Maybe, if ya told people I was your lover instead of some prostitute—"

Seto scowled. "And have everyone know I'm in love with a man? We're on tenuous ground with those religion-based countries already. You _really_ want to get me involved in a war, don't you?"

Joey stayed silent for a few minutes, then scowled and turned away from him, stalking over to the small, hard cot in the corner. He sat down and crossed his arms, shooting the brunet one last glare. "If that's the case, then find someone _else_ t' be your bed warmer. First ya didn't want anyone t' know because I was from the slums, then ya didn't want anyone t' know because I'm a commoner, and now ya don't want anyone t' know because I have a dick. I don't think ya understand just how fuckin' patient I've been already."

The brunet sighed again. "Joey, I've already explained to you—"

"Fuck you and your explanations," the younger boy spat, glaring at him. "If you're gonna upset me, just leave me alone."

Seto scowled. "I don't mean to upset you and you can't make me leave if I don't want to."

A moment later he wheezed as a hand around his neck dragged him up against the bars, head hitting one of them with a violent clang as the blond began cursing at him. The guards that had escorted him down promptly ripped him from the other boy's grip and ushered him up from the dungeons before he could even process what was going on.

Only once he was at the top of the stairs that led to the dungeons did he realize that Joey had, in fact, made him leave him alone under the guise of making his guards rescue him. "…Well, damn."

He paused as he recalled why Joey had been so upset, then frowned. Perhaps Joey _had_ been waiting a long time to be publicly acknowledged as his lover.

But still. He hadn't needed to punch the foreign diplomat in the face. He was still trying to smooth that over.

Spying his lover's friend walking by, he called out, "Yugi, what do you get your lover if you've wholly and truly fucked up?"

Yugi turned to blink at him. "…Flowers, candy, and heartfelt apologies."

"…Does Joey like flowers?"

"I have no idea."

"Does he like candy?"

"All kinds."

"Do you think I can manage a heartfelt apology without looking like an ass?"

Yugi paused, then firmly replied, "No." Then, he turned and walked away.

Seto turned and began pounding his head against the wall.


	74. Midnight

Author's Note: You take an idea and then you run with it. That is the only explanation as to how I spouted this utter drivel. **:|**

* * *

><p><span>Midnight<span>

Seto opened the window silently and leaned in to examine the blond, face lit almost eerily with the green light that showed it was midnight. He touched the human's hair, purring at the feel of the soft strands against his skin.

Joey hummed and turned, sighing quietly in his sleep. "Hmm…"

Seto cupped his cheek, purring quietly. "Mine…" He curled his tail around to wrap around the blond's waist, carefully pulling the human into his arms. "_All mine._" He kissed the human's neck gently, moaning as he smelled the sweet scent of a bitch in heat. He must have had sex recently. Humans smelled incredibly good after sex.

Seeing that the human was dead to the world, the brunet purred and licked his throat, then turned and spread his wings, flying back to his mansion and gently tapping down on the balcony outside his room. He leaned his face in the blond's neck again and licked his lips. The human was clearly no newcomer to sex, but he'd never had the pleasure of being taken.

He certainly wouldn't mind being the blond's first experience.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey groaned quietly as he felt a hot mouth on top of his, tongue being played with roughly. "Mm…" Wrapping his arms around the stranger's shoulders, he moaned, twisting his tongue up to perhaps put up a decent fight, but once the other person realized he was awake, he was immediately assailed by long fingers trailing over his body before they began plucking at one of his nipples. "Uhn-!"

He gasped as the kiss was broken and blinked in confusion, chest heaving as he looked up at his partner. "…I've seen ya before," he breathed.

The brunet purred smugly, eyes glowing as he looked the human over. "You have. My name's Seto." He leaned down to kiss him lightly before he wrapped the end of his tail around the blond's ankle and drew his leg up over his shoulder. "I'm the incubus everyone's been warning you about. The one that keeps coming to the café you work at and watching you."

"Oh. …Wait, what?" Joey blinked in confusion. "Why-?"

Seto purred again, leaning down to run his long tongue up the blond's stomach. "Because you're beautiful. I want you."

Joey blinked again slowly, lifting a hand to rest on his forehead. "Is this a dream?"

The brunet looked up at him and tilted his head. "…If you'd like it to be."

"…Depends on how good ya are," the younger boy mumbled, letting his eyes fall shut again. "If ya suck, I'll chalk it up t' a dream. If you're good, well… Maybe we can make it a regular thing."

"…You don't even know what I'm going to do to you," Seto stated, then rolled his eyes and pulled him into another kiss. He could worry about it later. He'd just have fun while he could and wait until the human started struggling to deal with it.


	75. Shadows

Author's Note: This is sort of a follow-up to Light, though I suppose it could be read as its own. And I know I use Seto's modern name in this ancient-themed setting. Iiiit just seems to work for me better somehow.

* * *

><p><span>Shadows<span>

"Nn… Ha…"

Seto struggled against the silk keeping his hands tied together behind his back, twisted up against the headboard of his bed. He could just barely see the blond, but he could clearly hear the satin rustle gently as he moved through the shadows. He growled around the silk sash in his mouth as the blond began toward him, hips swaying just as alluringly as they had on the dance floor.

The brunet yanked at the silk binding his arms and growled again.

The blond reached out to gently trail his fingers over the priest's bottom lip, kohl-lined brown eyes conveying nothing but a playful sort of passion. He leaned in to press their mouths together, rubbing the slick fabric over the brunet's lips playfully, then nuzzled his face into his neck.

Seto jerked as he felt the blond's hand travel back to touch the silk cloth around his arms and wrists. "Mmph-!"

The blond dipped his head and purred, "My Priest." He trailed his fingers over the older man's gag, then carefully untied it, pulling the silk away from his head.

"You—" the priest began, but was silenced by the blond's satin-covered mouth again. "Mmph-!"

Breaking the kiss, the dancer settled in his lap and sighed, moaning quietly. "My master says ya want my body," he cooed, cupping his cheeks and rubbing their noses together gently. "And that I should give ya my body completely."

Seto groaned as the blond rocked up against him, jerking more fervently at the ties around his wrists. "Uhn…"

"You wanna take me," the blond continued, gasping when the older boy jerked his hips up against him. "Oh-!"

The priest leaned forward and caught the satin covering his face with his teeth, dragging the fabric from his head quickly. The blond gasped and covered his face, blushing, then turned his head away quickly. Seto hissed. "You weren't so modest a moment ago."

"No one has seen my face for years," the dancer whispered. "No one except the slaves that help me dress." He bit his bottom lip, then hesitantly let his hands fall into his lap. "…Am I ugly?"

Seto blinked up at him slowly. "Why would you ever think that you're ugly?"

The blond blushed a little more. "…Because I have yellow hair and I'm scarred all over from before my master bought me." He looked up at the priest and frowned. "Is it different where ya come from? Would I be considered beautiful there?"

"Of course. You've got hair the color of the sun and a body that moves like a serpent's. You'd be one of the most beautiful people in the country." Seto twisted his hands further, hissing as he finally pulled free of the silk; he'd have bruises for days. He lifted his hands to dig his fingers into the blond's hair, making him gasp in both fear and surprise. He couldn't help a soft chuckle. "You wouldn't believe some of the things I've had to learn."

"Nn-!" The dancer gasped again as the brunet leaned in to kiss him, feeling as if he were drowning when the older boy's tongue slipped into his mouth. He shuddered as one of the hands in his hair slid down to his hip, then back around to cup his rear. "Mm…! Ah!" He broke the kiss with a yelp as the brunet abruptly pushed him onto his back and crawled on top of him. "What are ya—"

"What's your name?" Seto asked quietly, brushing the back of his hand over the blond's cheek. He smiled when the younger boy's eyes fluttered at the feeling. "Has anyone ever been allowed to touch you, or has your master always had your partners bound so that you had to do all of the work?"

"Ah…" The dancer turned his head away and moaned. "My master never wanted anyone t' have the chance to see my face-!" His breath hitched as the brunet began to pull at the swatch of satin around his torso. "He calls me Joseph… but the way he says it… Oh!"

"I'll call you Joey then," the older boy stated, leaning down to kiss him again.

Joey moaned and licked his lips as the brunet moved his mouth down to his neck. "…Joey doesn't sound so bad…" He squealed as the older boy bit down on his neck, then giggled. "That tickles!"

"I can only imagine what _else_ is going to tickle," Seto hissed, smirking.

He'd be having fun with him all night.


	76. Summer Haze

Summer Haze

"Joey, are you okay?" Yugi asked nervously. "It's been a mild summer."

Joey hummed slowly, staring up at the ceiling blankly. "I'm fine. I'm always fine." He blinked, then sat up straight and turned to look at his friend. "Why?"

Ryou laughed nervously. "Oh, no reason! We just noticed that you weren't really into extreme heat and summer fun this year!"

The blond leaned his head on his hand, frowning, then turned to look into the crystalline pool that served as their eyes to the human world. It was clearly warm down there, enough that a haze skewed the scene a little. He sighed when he saw all of the people running around and ran a hand through his hair. Last year, it had been so hot during this part of the day that the humans hadn't been able to leave their air-conditioned homes.

"Damn. It really is affecting me," he whispered, frowning, and ran a hand through his hair.

Yugi frowned. "What's affecting you, Joey?"

"Can we do something for you?" Ryou asked.

Joey hugged himself and jerked his head away. "No, I'm fine. Ryou, I think I'm gonna go for an early autumn. Is that okay?"

The white-haired boy frowned. "Of course it's okay, Joey. A mild autumn, then?"

"…No. I'd really just like to go visit my sister in the other hemisphere," the blond replied quietly. "Please."

The two smaller boys glanced at each other nervously before quietly agreeing and going to make the necessary arrangements.

Joey leaned his head in his hand again, unable to hide the frown that came to his face after they'd gone.

"_I really like ya, Seto."_

_Seto blinked slowly, then tilted his head. "You don't have to resort to that for an early summer, Joey. I don't mind."_

_Joey frowned. "But that's not what I— …Okay," he whispered, ducking his head, then turned to walk away._

He didn't want to see the winter spirit. He just wanted to go visit his sister.

That way he didn't have to feel so rejected.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto twisted around to pop his back, then stretched his arms over his head, yawning. "Why did you want an early winter anyway, Ryou? I thought we'd be in for a mild autumn and winter. Joey wanted an early summer."

Ryou blinked, frowning. "No, he actually wanted to get out of here before you showed up. Did you guys have a fight or something?"

The brunet blinked. "…Well, no, but… Oh." His eyes widened. "_Oh._"

The smaller boy frowned as the winter spirit promptly slapped a hand to his face. "What's wrong, Seto?"

"I get to give someone an apology." Seto sighed in annoyance. "Goody."

.-.-.-.-.-.

"So how are those humans—_Oh!_" Joey yelped, springing back and holding his hand to his chest in surprise. "Where the hell did ya come from?"

Seto frowned, looking down at him in annoyance. "You didn't tell me that you were confessing to me. I thought you just wanted an early summer."

The blond frowned. "…I would have figured it was a confession when I said I liked ya, stupid."

"You give me too much credit. No one wants to be stuck with a winter spirit. I'm used to false confessions just so people can get what they want." The brunet's frowned deepened. "I am quite upset that you didn't correct me. You're usually not so meek."

Joey scowled. "I thought ya rejected me, asshole. If ya didn't want me I wasn't gonna force myself on ya."

"Why in Seasons' names would make you think that that was a rejection?" Seto asked, quite appalled by the assumption that he was that much of a dick. He realized he could be a jerk, but he liked to think he could at least let people down gently.

The blond narrowed his eyes sourly. "…Because ya never liked me anyway and I'm a summer spirit."

"…I like you." Seto tilted his head. "I find you quite tolerable, which is more than I can say for quite a lot of spirits. Also, you're much more attractive."

Joey's brows furrowed together. "You find me _quite tolerable?_"

The brunet frowned. "Was that wrong?"

The summer spirit huffed. "Very."

"…But I got the attractive part right, didn't I?" Seto asked after a moment.

Joey sighed. "Yeah, I guess ya did."

The winter spirit shrugged awkwardly; he'd never done this before and he wasn't quite sure what he was supposed to do now. "…Sooo… Would you like to go somewhere?"

The blond tilted his head skeptically. "Where?"

"…The… human… world?" Seto grimaced when the younger spirit shot him a disbelieving look. "I don't know. I've never actually wanted to explore attraction to someone like this. Usually it's just sex and then we go our separate ways."

"…You're hopeless," Joey muttered, scowling. "But I guess I'm a little hopeless, too, because I think that's kinda cute."

The brunet tilted his head. "So what to people actually do when they want to explore a relationship?"

Joey sighed. "I suppose they go out for dates. I've never really done more than have sex with people either."

"…We could cuddle," Seto suggested after a moment. "I've heard people do that."

The blond frowned. "I've only heard that they do it after sex."

"Then we could have sex and cuddle."

The two spirits looked at each other for a few minutes in awkward silence. Finally, though, Joey nodded. "Alright. I have a bed here if ya wanna try it now."

Seto hummed, then nodded. "Okay. Lead the way."

Joey turned to lead him to his bedroom, then paused, frowning. "…I feel like we're doing this wrong."

"You watch the humans too much," the winter spirit replied, reaching down to cup his rear and give it a squeeze. "It's different for seasonal spirits."

"Maybe I do," the blond mumbled thoughtfully, then huffed. "Could you at least wait until we're in my room so my sister doesn't walk up on her brother bein' groped?"

Seto scowled but slid his hand around to hold his hip instead. "Fine." He slid his hand up and down his hip slightly, then tilted his head, unable to help a smirk as he pulled the summer spirit up against his side. He leaned in to nuzzle the top of his head. "—You smell like a summer breeze."

Joey blinked, blushing a little, then turned to nuzzle the brunet's shoulder. "…You smell like a frosty morning."

"Oh? And what does a frosty morning smell like?" the winter spirit asked playfully.

The blond looked up at him and smiled. "You."

Seto snorted and rested his forehead against the smaller boy's. "Touché."

Joey tilted his head up just enough to touch lips with him. "Don't worry. It's a good smell."

"I suppose I'll just have to take your word for it. But that's okay." The brunet kissed him again softly. "I thought you said you didn't want your sister to see you in a compromising position."

The younger boy blinked and hummed in confusion. "What?"

"Joey, you've somehow managed to get my thigh between your legs and _your_ hands are on _my_ ass," Seto deadpanned. "And we've only kissed twice. They weren't even that deep."

Joey blinked again, cheeks burning bright red in embarrassment as he pulled away from him. "It might have been a while since I've last had sex."

"Hmm." The brunet slid his arm around him again. "Well, if you show me to your room, I could fix that. And don't complain about my hand on your ass because after what you just did, this is pretty tame."

The summer spirit sighed quietly. "I suppose it is."


	77. Memories

Author's Note: Follow-up to Separation.

* * *

><p><span>Memories<span>

Joey snarled and dug his hands into his hair, feeling frustrated and angry and lonely and, above all, _horny._

Fuck all of this! Who cared if they didn't want pups? He just wanted to be fucked until he passed out and he didn't mind if the person continued fucking him even if he was unconscious! He wanted this stupid heat to end and he wanted to have his mate's cock up his ass!

He whimpered quietly as the memory of his mate fucking him while he'd been trying to make dinner for them came to mind. The food on the stove had been burned and the whipped cream he'd been making had been used on his body instead. Seto had been ravenous, and it hadn't been for food or blood.

Not that he'd had any problem licking the whipped cream off of him or biting him and suckling the spot while he'd made love to him.

Joey mewled and settled onto the bed, pawing between his legs before he turned and shoved his face into a pillow to muffle his desperate sobbing. He wanted to be taken so badly! Why had he decided to stay here when he could have enjoyed being plowed hourly by his mate?

Seto hadn't wanted children yet, but he'd done such a good job of raising his brother that he probably wouldn't have minded too much, as long as it was just one pup.

"GAAAAAAAAH SOMEONE COME FUCK ME _PLEASE!_" he wailed desperately, then began to cry even harder. He pressed his face into a pillow again, tail tucking up between his legs. "Uuuhhhh! This is the _worst!_"

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto frowned and leaned his head on his hand, sighing quietly. Joey looked so unhappy. He was glad that he'd had cameras installed before Joey had gone into his room, so he'd be able to watch out for him better; on the other hand, it was really making him horny, watching his mate pleasure himself with his fingers and some of the vibrators that had been provided in the room, along with humping anything nailed down. Of course, if he went to him now, they'd have pups for sure, and he couldn't help but think back to the discussion they'd had.

"_Seto, how do you feel about pups?" Joey asked, sitting on the brunet's lap._

"_They're sticky, messy, and loud."_

_The blond stared at him._

_Seto frowned. "I'm going to assume that that was not the answer you were seeking."_

"_I mean us. How would you feel if we had pups?" the werewolf repeated slowly._

"_Oh." The brunet tilted his head, giving the question some serious thought. "…I… think that I'm not ready to raise another child yet. I've only just gotten Mokuba out on his own. I'd like at least a little more time for just… us."_

_Joey hummed and laid his head on the vampire's shoulder. "Oh."_

_Seto glanced down at him in concern. "Is that not what you wanted to hear?"_

"…_Well, I'm glad that you're open t' the idea. I won't lie and say I'm not disappointed, but I understand. I'm sorta excited, though. Mokuba's such a good kid, I bet our pups will turn out great, too." Joey nuzzled into his neck and smiled. "If ya want more time before we have a pup, I don't mind. We're still young, I guess."_

_The brunet hummed. "I promise that we can have pups in a few years. I agree that we're still young, though, and we'll have plenty of time for pups later. I just want to enjoy some time with just the two of us."_

_Joey smiled. "That sounds good t' me, too. I wouldn't mind pups now, but I'm okay with waitin'. Besides, we can have all the kinky sex we want without worryin' about pups walkin' in on us!"_

"_Mokuba still apologizes to me for that, you know. He's convinced that he ruined ceiling sex for us," Seto chuckled, kissing the top of his head._

_The werewolf giggled. "Are ya kiddin'? Hangin' upside-down from the ceilin', all that blood rushin' t' my head? That was __**great!**__"_

…His mate was quite fond of different kinks. He wanted to go and sate the blond, especially after seeing him cry and beg _anyone _to come have sex with him, but they'd both agreed to wait.

He flinched as the blond howled, the microphones in his room picking it up clearly. "Oh God why!"

"_**PLEASE SOMEONE JUST FUCK MEEEEEEEE!"**_

Seto stared at the screen for a moment, then reached out to turn the sound on mute. It would be better for his ears and he wouldn't have to hear the desperation and loneliness in his mate's voice.


	78. Change in the Weather

Author's Note: Follow up to Stirring of the Wind.

* * *

><p><span>Change<span> in the Weather

"Seriously? Stop it. Stop it right now," Atem hissed, glaring into the room.

Joey yawned and snuggled closer to the brunet's chest, hugging him tightly. "Mmn, but it's my room…"

The king scowled. "It's _snowing_."

"'s winter. 's 'sposed t' do that."

"It's _late spring_."

"Hmm?" Joey blinked slowly, turning his gaze on the calendar, then gasped and shot up, throwing the blankets off quickly. "Oh shit oh shit oh shit!" He threw some clothes on and rushed out of the room to begin the spring thaw. "I'm so sorry please forgive me the humans are still okay, right!"

Atem turned to watch him go, then scowled and looked back into the room. "And what do _you_ have to say about this?"

"…I… can't… move…" Seto muttered. "I'm sore in places I didn't know I had."

The smaller god frowned, raising an eyebrow. "Oh, that's right. Changing seasons and the change in the weather that comes with it makes him horny."

"_Er,_" the brunet groaned. "It makes him hornier." He took a deep breath, then sat up swiftly, moaning in pain. "If I weren't a god, I'd have been afraid that he'd fuck me to death."

"Well, you _were_ always complaining that no one could keep up with you," Atem pointed out, smirking. "Aren't you glad that you've finally found someone who can?"

Seto shot him a glare. "Shut up. It would be different if his sex drive didn't go up with every change in the season. Honestly, it's exhausting." He ran a hand through his hair and frowned, then sighed. "I guess I better go pass judgment on the poor humans that froze to death during the incredibly long winter." He stared at the wall for a minute, then grimaced, instead turning onto his side and lying back down. "I'll do it tomorrow."

"Yes, I suppose you could use a day to recover while Joey's out beginning the spring thaw," Atem mused, doing his best not to chuckle.

The god of death scowled. "Go away so I can recover, asshole."

"Just remember that you only brought this upon yourself," Atem sang playfully and stepped back just in time to avoid the brunet slamming the door on him. When the door closed with a resounding bang just in front of him, though, he chuckled, because he was glad that the god of death had finally found someone he was happy with.


	79. Illogical

Author's Note: I AM A HUMONGOUS DORK. OTL But Seto's a nerd, so it's okay.

* * *

><p><span>Illogical<span>

"Hey, Seto?"

Seto paused for a moment, blinking, then turned, raising an eyebrow as his lover approached him with a smile. "What is it? I thought you were going to go watch movies with your friends so I could actually get some work done."

"I did. …Seto, I've been gone for several hours," the blond deadpanned.

The older boy blinked, then looked at his watch. "…Oh. Time flies when you're actually doing something to earn money."

Joey scowled, eyebrow twitching. "Are ya insinuatin' that I don't work for my money?"

"Of course not. …I love you," the brunet muttered, flinching, and took a step back.

"…I love you too," the younger boy growled, still looking angry but not enough that he'd hit him. Yet. After a few moments of merely making the brunet sweat, he suddenly smiled and asked, "Seto, will you be the Spock to my Captain Kirk?"

Seto blinked, then scowled. "That's what this was all about? To give me some weird pickup line?"

Joey grinned. "Yup!"

The brunet growled and gripped his hands into fists. "…Well, if you're going to be completely illogical, yes, I can be." He huffed. "Because Captain Kirk was an _idiot._"

Joey stared as the older boy promptly turned and stalked back to his office, then began to giggle. "Seto, I never knew you were a trekkie!"

"It's where I get ideas for dueling platforms and such. Also, _nowhere am I so desperately needed as among a shipload of illogical humans._"

The blond stumbled, then turned to look back at the door of the office, where the brunet was standing and merely looking at him. "…Um…"

"From the episode, _I, Mudd_. And it adequately explains how I feel at work."

Joey stared at him for a minute, then grinned. "Seto, just hire more Vulcans."

"If I could, I would," the brunet replied, then stepped into his office and finally shut the door.

Mokuba leaned out of the living room and grinned. "I used to tease him about pointy ears."

"You guys are awful," the blond laughed. "Ya think he'll sit down and watch a few episodes with me?"

The younger boy chuckled. "He'll just yell at Kirk what he's doing is stupid and wrong, and then he'll start drafting a new machine to keep from losing his temper too much. It's really not that fun."

"Until I ask him why he's yellin' at me," Joey replied, smirking. "He is, after all, the Spock to my Kirk."


	80. Only Human

Author's Note: I started this as a follow-up to Dead Wrong, but I realize that it could be a stand alone. Think what you will, then.

* * *

><p><span>Only Human<span>

Joey bit his bottom lip and groaned. "Seto, please…"

"Mn." Seto pulled the blond up against him tightly and growled, nuzzling his neck and gently catching the skin of his throat between his teeth. "_Mine._" He grabbed the younger boy's ass and couldn't keep his tail from wagging as he pressed him up against the wall.

"Ah-! Seto, please, ya promised…!" the human whimpered. "Come on, please?"

The brunet pawed between the younger boy's legs and chuckled quietly as he shuddered in response. "I like foreplay, Joey. Humor me."

Joey blushed and turned his head away. "But you're gonna make me—" His breath hitched in embarrassment, and he thought about taking back what he'd said, but then the werewolf let out a guttural growl that clearly conveyed that he didn't have that choice anymore. "…You're gonna make me come in my pants," he muttered finally.

Seto paused, then hummed and licked the blond's throat lovingly. "I would love to see you come in your pants. And then again on the bed, and against the wall, and probably on the floor—" He smirked. "But definitely again in the bathroom."

"Ngh!" The younger boy shuddered and squeaked, then ducked his head, mortified.

The werewolf blinked and leaned back in surprise as he began to smell the heavy scent of satisfaction-horror-embarrassment. "…It's really nothing to be ashamed of, Joey. I don't understand why you—" He paused as the scent changed to disappointment-disgust, then whined quietly as he finally caught a whiff of jealousy underneath it all. "Joey, you're only human. You'll never have as much control over your body as I do," he began.

"_You're sayin' the wrong thing,_" Joey ground out, before the brunet could begin digging his own verbal grave.

Seto paused, frowning, and tried to figure out how to articulate it without earning a punch in the mouth. After a moment or two, he growled and mashed their mouths together, digging his hands into his hair as he thrust his tongue into his mouth.

Joey mewed weakly and tried to put up some sort of offense, but the werewolf would have none of it and immediately began dominating the kiss, ripping the front of the blond's shirt open and yanking it from his body. "Mngh! Ahn-!" He squirmed as the brunet's claws slid over his skin, panting as the kiss was broken and he was finally allowed to breathe. "Seto…!"

"It makes me happy when you come," Seto stated, not seeming the least bit breathless. "It makes me feel like I'm being a good dominant partner. My base instinct is to see that you are sated before I am." He paused, then leaned in to brush his nose over the younger boy's jaw. "Besides, you smell so good after you come, Joey." A fib, because this time he hadn't smelled as nice because of his embarrassment and disgust, but other times he smelled delicious.

The human blushed a little and began tracing shapes on the brunet's chest, nibbling on his bottom lip nervously. "…What do I smell like that ya like so much?" he asked bashfully, keeping his gaze lowered.

The brunet whined quietly at being shown such submissive behavior by his lover; he loved when Joey unconsciously submitted to him. "You smell satisfied and happy. You smell like… mine." He reached down to unbutton the blond's pants and slide them down his hips. "You smell sweet and sexy when you've been sated but want another round." His tail began wagging fiercely as the blond's scent began to change to the sweet-sexy-_mine_ one he'd just described.

"And just how does someone smell sexy?" Joey whispered, giggling when he saw the brunet's tail whipping wildly back and forth. "Ya really like the way I smell, Seto?"

Seto whined again, ears pressing back against his skull before he slammed the blond against the wall and pressed up against him. "_Yessss._"

Joey squeaked, startled, then groaned as the brunet ground between his legs. "_Seto!_" He lifted his legs to wrap around the older boy's waist. "Ungh, Seto, ya really—"

"I believe I promised you something, Joey. What was that again?" the werewolf hissed.

The blond sighed as the older boy began to kiss his neck. "Ya promised t' fuck me so hard I couldn't walk tomorrow."

"Oh, that's _right._" Seto leaned back and growled, smirking. "Let's get started on that then, shall we?"

Joey moaned and nodded quickly. "_Please._"


	81. A Place to Belong

Author's Note: A follow-up to Forgotten. Also, CATS, HOW DO THEIR MINDS WORK THAT THIS SHIT IS OKAY?

* * *

><p><span>A Place to Belong<span>

"_Gah!_" Joey gasped as the feline dug his claws into his hips and flinched as his rough tongue rubbed over his cheek. "Seto, ya know I don't like it when ya dig your claws into me!"

Seto paused, tilted his head, then huffed and went back to licking him, sliding his arms around the human's waist as his tongue moved down to his jaw and neck. "Mine."

"…It seems to me like you should be more embarrassed about the fact that he's doing it in public rather than that he's digging his claws into your flesh," Yugi commented, leaning his head in his hand. He watched his friend try to squirm out of the brunet's grip and frowned. "How long have you had him, anyway?"

Joey squirmed. "I haven't had him! He just shows up and leaves again when he's gotten warmed up and fed!" He squealed as the brunet's hand slid under his shirt and immediately smacked it. "_Seto!_"

Seto took a step back in disgruntlement, then hissed, the fur on his tail bristling as his ears pressed back against his skull. "_Mine._"

"I feed ya and let ya in my house, asshole!" the blond exclaimed, glaring at him. "That doesn't mean ya get t' claim me as your freakin' property!"

Seto hissed again, growled, then turned and stalked away.

The two humans blinked. "…He looked quite offended by that, Joey," Yugi commented, frowning.

Joey crossed his arms and huffed. "Serves him right, just walkin' up t' me and tryin' t' cop a feel in a public place!" He tried to keep an angry expression, but eventually sighed. "What is it about cats that make them think they're so much better than everyone else?"

Yugi shrugged. "Probably the fact that they have superior instincts and senses?"

"…Shut up, Yugi."

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto blinked as the blond patted his bed, then huffed, stalking over to the corner of his room and curling up on the floor. "_No._"

Joey frowned, then sat up straight. "Seto, come on. I know I was kinda mean today but you were tryin' t' paw me in the middle of the park!" When the brunet only growled, tail beginning to twitch angrily, he scowled. "Fine, asshole, I didn't wanna sleep with ya anyway!" So saying, he turned, curling into a ball and wrapping the blankets around him tightly.

The feline huffed again, curling closer to the wall, but the blond's room was incredibly drafty (even draftier than the places Seto had used to sleep in) and it was quite an ordeal to get warm. The human had a space heater, but it was directed toward his bed. And the only blankets the Wheelers seemed to own were already tucked tightly around the younger boy.

Seto grumbled to himself, then got up and stealthily crawled over to the blond's bed. He paused, then climbed onto the foot of it, curling up so his back was facing the human still. He was just cold. It wasn't like he was forgiving him or anything.

Joey glanced down at him, then turned his gaze back on the wall, scowling. A moment later, though, he sighed and sat up, pulling the blankets from around him and carefully covering the feline with them. He tucked the blankets under him and sighed, then turned to lie down again.

He heard a low rumble and jumped a little as a hand closed around his wrist, then yelped as he was tugged backward. "Gah!"

Seto growled again and pulled the blond up against his chest. "Mine."

Joey turned to face him and huff. "After that stunt you just pulled, walkin' over t' the corner like I'm not good enough for ya—"

"_Mine_." Seto nipped at the back of his neck, then slid his hands under the blond's shirt and pulled him closer. "…I belong."

"Hmm?" The younger boy peeked up at him in confusion. "Huh?"

The feline hid his face in the blond's neck, claws digging into his back lightly as he quietly questioned, "_I belong?_"

Joey tilted his head, blushing a little, then nodded slowly. "Yeah. You belong here with me." He smiled as the brunet began to purr and snuggled closer to him. "You're mine, Seto."

Seto's purring grew louder. "_Mine._"

It occurred to Joey as the brunet began to knead on him that Seto had probably never belonged anywhere—or if he had, it had been a very long time since then. He snuggled closer to the feline and mewed contentedly as the older boy responded by licking his forehead and nuzzling him before beginning to groom his hair.

Well, Seto belonged with him now. Even if his father found them in the morning and tried to force the brunet out, he would put up a fight this time. Seto was his just as much as he was Seto's. And that was a good feeling.


	82. Advantage

Author's Note: There must be something wrong with me. Enjoy. Also, to ease any confusion, Seto's in his school uniform in this.

* * *

><p><span>Advantage<span>

Joey gasped quietly and bit his bottom lip as he felt a hand gently cup his ass, blushing brightly in humiliation as the hem of the skirt he was wearing rode up to an almost indecent level. "I can't believe you're doin' this t' me-!" he hissed, squeezing his eyes shut.

"You're the one who made the bet, puppy," Seto cooed. "I'm merely taking advantage of your loss—like I _always_ do." He chuckled and admired the little sailor outfit the blond was wearing, taking a step closer to him without standing directly behind him as he slid his hand beneath his skirt.

The blond gasped again as he felt the older boy's fingers press at his entrance through the pair of panties he was wearing. "Seto…!"

"I'm so proud of you, Joey. You haven't made an indecent noise yet." The brunet smirked and pulled his panties aside gently. "We have twenty minutes until our stop, puppy. Let's see just how long you can last."

Joey clenched the handle of the briefcase in his hands and jerked slightly as the brunet's fingers slid inside of him; the squelching sound of the older boy's fingers in his lubed hole seemed impossibly loud, but when no one else seemed to notice, he realized it was probably because he was so aware of it. And he became even more aware of it when the brunet's fingers delved deeper and touched the spot that made his vision go white with pleasure.

Seeing the blond's legs begin to tremble, Seto leaned in and whispered, "You'll draw attention to yourself that way, puppy."

"Oh… God…" Shivering slightly, Joey straightened his back and choked back a moan as the older boy's fingers began twisting and stroking inside of him the way he usually quite enjoyed. Part of him wanted to fall boneless and spread his legs so the brunet could better touch him; the other part wanted to crawl into a hole and die from humiliation. He had to admit that the terror of being found out amplified the pleasure he felt to new heights, but if someone _did_ notice him…

God, he'd _die._ Stupid psychotic Seto and his weird and dangerous fetishes!

Seto licked his lips as the blond glanced up at him from the corner of his eye, cheeks flushed and brows furrowed together in distress. The younger boy was so incredibly sexy like that. Leaning down to brush his lips over his ear, he cooed, "You can come, you know. I won't mind. No one will notice your cum under your skirt."

"Nn-!" Joey shuddered, gasping as he heard the announcement that they'd be arriving at the next station in about five minutes. "Oh…!" His legs began to tremble again as he felt his climax drawing closer. He tried desperately to hold back until they got off the train, to get somewhere private, but then the brunet twisted his fingers violently inside him.

Seto purred as the blond visibly shook where he stood, finally stepping behind him to wrap his arms around his waist. Joey dropped the older boy's briefcase and turned, hiding his face in the brunet's chest in embarrassment. "Seto…!"

Hugging the blond gently, the brunet brushed his lips over his neck, then glanced aside when he heard a disgruntled and disgusted huff. Seeing a woman giving them a look clearly stating that she thought they were disgusting, he turned toward her. "I'm sorry. My girlfriend gets a little nervous on trains. I've been trying to get her to stand on her own. She lasted much longer than she usually does. …Traumatic incident when she was a child," he explained, and was pleased to see the woman's disapproval change to surprise, understanding, and then sympathy.

Joey gripped his hands into fists and promised himself that he'd punch the older boy later—perhaps multiple times—for making him do this. He was, however, glad that the woman believed he was a girl. He didn't even want to think about what she or the other passengers would say if they heard he was a boy cross-dressing for his lover's sick fantasy.

The train slowed to a stop at the station and the doors slid open.

Seto leaned down to catch his briefcase before he stood and stepped off the train, leading the blond off with an arm around his waist. "Come on, _sweetie._"

"Seto I'm gonna kill ya until you're nothin' but a bloody pile of mulch," Joey hissed, but allowed the brunet to lead him to the waiting limo. "'nd get me outta these panties, asshole."

The brunet hummed quietly. "I don't know. I sort of want to fuck you silly once we get in the car and see if you stay as quiet as you did on the train."

The younger boy shot him a look so acidic that Seto realized that his come-on was not appreciated and he'd be lucky if his wish to live his fantasy hadn't earned him the couch. For several days.

Frowning as the limo began to move, Seto crossed his arms. "…What would you have made me do if _you'd_ won that bet?"

Joey blushed a little and looked down at his feet. "Err, that is… Um…"

"…I will not put on a skirt," the brunet stated after a moment. "My legs aren't as pretty as yours."

The younger boy blushed further at the compliment and looked out the window. "…I wanted t' tie ya up for the entire night and ride ya." He ducked his head. "I know ya don't like bein' tied up, so I needed t' do it as a bet. 'cause ya'd never back down from a bet."

Seto tilted his head, frowning, then scowled. "As long as I have some manner to protect myself, I suppose I wouldn't mind. …Much."

Joey looked up at him quickly, then frowned. "…Seto, ya don't look like ya really wanna do it."

"I don't," the brunet replied shortly, crossing his arms. "But I believe that if you're willing to put on a skirt and let me molest you in public, I can put up with being tied up for a night." He glanced out the window and frowned. "…But please don't leave me alone for long. Also, please reassure me that you love me, because I'll admit it right now. I'm a needy little bitch."

The younger boy blinked, then smiled and slid over to sit next to him. "Well, I don't know about the bitch part, but I guess you're a little needy. But that's okay, because I'm a little needy, too." He leaned in to kiss his cheek. "I'll be careful, okay? And I'll even keep it down to one round. …Okay, maybe two, but no more than that."

Seto hummed and wrapped his arm around the blond's shoulders. "Don't hold back on my account. If you're distracting me with fabulous sex, I don't think I'll mind too much."

"…You think I'm fabulous when I ride you?" Joey asked quietly, turning his gaze on his feet.

"Absolutely. In fact, you don't do it enough. Feel free to roll on top and ride me whenever you want." The brunet paused, then added, "But not when I come home late. When I come home late, I just like to cuddle."

The younger boy looked up at him and smiled, then fixed him with a sharp glare. "I'm still mad at ya for this. What if someone noticed?"

"Funny, I've heard that someone looking a lot like me has been spotted elsewhere. He has a girlfriend that wears the uniform of a school across town from Domino high. Besides, that guy still wears a school uniform. I graduated last year. Why would I still have my uniform? It's tacky," the brunet drawled. "Heavens, puppy, what sort of pervert do you think I am?"

Joey gaped at him for a moment, but realizing that his lover had a point and that Seto could probably make the public believe it, he merely sighed and looked out the window, crossing his arms in annoyance. "Still, that was the most humiliatin' thing I've ever experienced."

Seto huffed. "Well I never planned on it happening again. I only wanted to try it once."

"Well, I hope it lived up t' your expectations, because I'd be pissed if you were disappointed."

The brunet hummed and turned to nuzzle the top of his head. "It was even better than what I imagined, puppy. It was so hot, watching you try and be so strong even though I knew I was driving you crazy." He smirked as he heard the blond growl in embarrassment, then whispered, "You're not the only one that came, Joey."

Joey blinked, then blushed a little and turned to look down at the brunet's pants, gasping quietly when he saw the damp stain beginning to show on his pants. "Oh!" He looked up at him and giggled awkwardly. "Seto, you're a creep, molesting girls on the train."

Seto leaned his forehead against the blond's. "There's only one 'girl' I would ever want to molest," he growled playfully. "And he's sitting right next to me!"

"_Eek!_" Joey squealed as the brunet hugged him tightly and began kissing and nipping his neck. "Seto that tickles eeeee!"

The older boy chuckled and continued attacking his neck. "I like the way you squeal when you laugh, though."

"Seto stop it I can't breathe aaaahhhh!" He squirmed and laughed helplessly. "Seto, you're killin' me!" He continued to wriggle until he finally reached up, cupped the brunet's cheeks, and pulled him into a kiss.

That shut him up and stopped his tickling immediately. Joey was quite glad about that, because the older boy lifted his hands to dig into his hair.

Seto's hand had been moving up his skirt, and he had the feeling that the brunet wanted to take advantage of the easy access. He wasn't going to let him have that pleasure; he was still too annoyed by the incident on the train to let him have his way with him.

…Yet.


	83. Breakfast

Breakfast

"Mr. Kaiba?"

Seto sighed and lifted a hand to scratch his head, then blinked his eyes open slowly. "Hmm-?" Seeing the blond standing beside his bed, he sat up and sighed. "I thought I said to wake me up later."

"Ya said a half an hour later. It is half-past seven now." Joey glanced at the lump in the covers beside him and pursed his lips. "You didn't request a second breakfast, however."

"Huh?" The brunet turned and stared at the lump as well, then huffed and pulled the covers back, giving the woman's shoulder a shake. "Hey. You said you'd be gone by morning."

The woman purred and snuggled up to him. "But your bed is so comfortable… And we could always have another round." She began kissing his chest lightly.

Seto grunted in disgust and shoved her away. "No. I specifically said to get out after your nap. And let's be honest. The sex was okay, but it wasn't great. You're _certainly_ not the best I've had."

She stared at him for a moment, agape, then screeched like a banshee and stood, gathering her clothes and storming out of the room.

Joey frowned. "Should I follow her t' make sure she leaves?"

"Don't worry. Roland will see to it," the brunet replied, taking the tray from the demon's hands and setting it on his lap. "You've given Mokuba his breakfast, right?"

"Of course. I always give his t' him first because I know he'll fall asleep again. He doesn't need t' be up as early as you, so I let him sleep that little bit, and then I go wake him up again." The blond crossed his arms and glanced away. "Could you… um… could ya cover up?"

Seto looked down and raised an eyebrow, then glanced back up at the blond and smirked. "Like what you see?"

"Please just finish your breakfast, sir." Starting as the brunet reached out to grab his hand, Joey looked down at him in confusion as the older boy ran his thumb over his knuckles gently. "Mr. Kaiba?"

"Why don't you call me Seto?" the brunet suggested smoothly. "You've been working here several months now, and—"

Joey pulled his hand free and turned, crossing his arms again. "The first time ya saw me, ya said ya despised dog demons and didn't even wanna give me the job. I had t' beg for a chance t' prove I was a good cook. You've only shown interest in me after ya started rompin' with everyone else. Pardon me if I'm not interested in a fling."

Seto hummed. "So… no, then…"

The blond scowled and turned back to the older man quickly. "I know that dogs aren't usually known for monogamy, but I only want one mate, and you like having several. You'd be a terrible father for my pups. Mokuba's already chasin' a lot of girls' tails. He's not sleepin' with 'em, but he's leadin' 'em on, and _I don't want my pups bein' that inconsiderate._"

The human frowned. "How do you know I'm not interested in more?"

"What would you like for lunch?" Joey asked, ignoring his question simply because he didn't think it required an answer.

Seto scowled. He didn't like being ignored, but he supposed he deserved it. "Roast beef sandwiches would be fine."

"I'll put an apple on the side," the blond stated, picking up his empty tray. "What do you want for dessert?"

"I wouldn't mind you walking in covered in whipped cream—"

"Chocolate mousse it is."

Seto watched him go and frowned, leaning his head on his hand as he paid particular attention to the swaying tail. He licked his lips and sighed, imagining the blond looking up at him with lusty eyes before he turned and presented himself. He wished he could get the blond to see he would gladly stop sleeping around if he could just have him, but he'd clearly stung him with his remark when he'd first met him.

He still stood by what he said. He detested dog demons. But Joey wasn't just a dog demon. He was… Joey.

And while he had to admit that he couldn't really articulate just what it was about Joey that attracted him and made him different from other dog demons, he knew he wanted to settle down with him. Of course, Joey had been offended by his first come-on and had not been any more receptive as time went on, so he'd decided trying for him any harder would just make him angry enough to quit. The blond was an excellent cook and he didn't want to lose him.

Sure, sometimes he hoped that Joey would open up, maybe allow him a little closer, but he realized that demons didn't always trust humans, especially after the way demons had been treated—like lesser beings, even slaves. He knew that it would take quite a while for the blond to feel comfortable enough to take him seriously. He supposed if he stopped sleeping around, that might help too, but he wasn't sure Joey would come around enough to want to sleep with him.

Seto sighed quietly as he turned to glance at the clock. Well, he could mull over it on the drive to work. Perhaps he'd figure out a way to mend the damage he'd made with the dog demon and find out how to woo him. He'd heard that sometimes the only way to woo a demon was to appeal to their base instincts.

He wondered if that dog demon still worked in accounting… Maybe he could ask her…

"Mr. Kaiba. It's goin' on eight. Ya wanted t' be at your office by eight forty-five at the latest and ya have a twenty minute drive," Joey stated, leaning into his room with an empty tray under each arm. "And when ya come home tonight, please teach Mokuba how t' eat with a _little_ decorum. …He got marmalade all over his blankets and there was more orange juice on his pajamas than in his mouth." He turned to go. "I'll have your lunch ready by the time ya come down, sir."

Seto sighed again and ran his hand over his face. "I'll try. Whether it'll actually do any good is questionable."

"Well, as long as ya try, that's good enough for me. I'll just start swattin' him on the ass if he doesn't start eatin' like a sophisticated creature instead of an ape. Always worked for me."

Seto watched his swaying tail until the door shut again, thinking he wouldn't mind giving the blond some swats on the ass either. Then, he stood and began getting ready for work.

He hoped that dog demon still worked in accounting.


	84. Echoes

Author's Note: Follow-up to Dark. You remember that one? It was quite a while ago. **:/**

* * *

><p><span>Echoes<span>

"Ngh… Please, Seto-!"

_Seto…! Seto…!_

"I need ya inside me!"

—_Side me…! –Side me…!_

Joey sobbed as the echoes of his voice seemed to vibrate around him, feeling so lonely and disappointed that he almost wanted to curl up and die. "Seto, please! Help me…!"

When the only answer he received was his own voice crashing around him and in his ears, he sobbed again and curled up on his bed of furs, reaching down to touch his leaking entrance. His mate had fucked him for several days, pausing only for short naps and meal breaks. Then, he'd woken up two weeks ago, and the ice demon had been gone.

Just before Joey went into heat.

Joey had searched for him, of course, even going so far as to ask other demons if they'd seen a high-class ice demon walk by. They hadn't, and he hadn't been able to find any trail to track. It was as if he'd just disappeared. Hell, if he hadn't had the dark scar on his neck, he would have believed the entire thing to be a dream.

Eventually, though, he had had to slink back to his cave. His heat was beginning and he didn't relish the idea of being so vulnerable in the middle of the forest. So, instead, he curled up on his pile of furs, took his clothes off to ease a little of his discomfort, and waited for it to be over with, begging every few hours for his mate before going silent when he realized he hadn't returned. He wished he could see something—anything—but all he could see was darkness; as a fire demon, his heats intensified his powers but, instead of expelling from his body, turned on him to make him as helpless as a baby.

He couldn't see, but the rest of his senses sharpened to make up for it. He could feel each strand of fur beneath him brushing over his heated skin, smell the smallest hint of his mate to show it hadn't been a dream even though it had been a month since he'd been there, and hear the sounds of other demons in heat being sated outside. Unfortunately, he was too miserable and horny to care. He didn't feel the urge to move except to relieve himself, too hot to even try eating anything.

He just wanted to be fucked. Was that so much to ask?

Joey hiccupped quietly, the noise sounding incredibly loud as it echoed around him, before he buried his face in his arms and bit into the furs beneath him to muffle his desolate sobs. Why had Seto mated with him if he'd only intended to fuck him for a while and leave? It wasn't fair! It was Seto's responsibility to keep him sated, and where was he? _Gone._

Probably off trying to woo some other high-class demon so he could forget he'd mated with some mangy common mutt.

Joey's breath hitched as he felt large hands grasping his shoulders and pulling him upward. He squirmed anxiously, terrified for a moment, until he felt a gentle press of lips against the corner of his mouth. He licked his lips nervously, shuddered, then mewed and arched toward his… guest appreciatively. "Please…"

The other demon's mouth trailed down his neck, nipping and nibbling at his throat playfully before carefully pulling him closer, over his legs.

The blond crawled closer and nuzzled at his stomach, scrabbling at the other demon's clothes until a hand in his hair pulled his head up. He mewled in complaint. "_Want—_" Before he could tearfully complain that he wanted _anything_ because his mate was an asshole and he'd been left humping his fur-bed for days, he felt something brush against his lower lip. Leaning forward a little, he cooed happily when he realized it was the other demon's cock and promptly took it into his mouth.

He heard the other demon roar in surprise but ignored it, stroking the long shaft with his tongue as he reached down to slip his middle finger into his dripping hole. "Mmn… Mm…" He purred when the other man growled in approval only to jump as his hand was slapped away just as the hand still grasping his hair yanked his head up. He whined. "_Please—_"

Joey yelped as he was roughly rolled onto his back, the other demon's big hands resting on the back of his thighs to keep his legs up. He whimpered hopefully, thinking he might finally be fucked, only to be disappointed as he felt the head of his partner's cock against his lips again. Still, it was better than nothing, so he wrapped his lips around it and began sucking again, swallowing to take it deep in his throat.

He squealed and almost choked when he felt something hot and wet trail between his cheeks, realizing with a blush that it was the other demon's surprisingly long tongue. He whined as the hot tongue ran over his damp pucker and arched his hips upward. Feeling the tongue slipping inside of him, he groaned, eyes rolling back with delight. He writhed happily, enjoying the feel of _something_ that wasn't his own fingers inside him.

A moment later, the tongue slid out of him. He mewed and swallowed around the shaft to try and tempt the other demon to stick it back in.

The other demon pulled back instead. The blond gave the head of his shaft one last suck before it was pulled out of his mouth with a pop. "Nn—" Joey squealed in surprise as he was suddenly tugged into a sitting position. "Nyu!" He gasped as he was maneuvered over the other demon's erection and reached down to plant his hands on the demon's knees. "Yes, please…"

The head of his cock prodded at his entrance a few times gently. Joey jerked his head helplessly as it just barely penetrated him, trying to jerk down onto it, but the iron grip on his hips kept him carefully in place. He sobbed and tossed his head back.

A moment later, the thick shaft suddenly slid into him. The blond whimpered, eyes widening sightlessly as he reached his climax. "Ahn-!" He blushed brightly in shame and ducked his head as the other demon snorted, but when he didn't continue laughing at him, he realized that the other demon probably didn't expect him to last long while he was in heat.

Feeling fingers at his lips, Joey obediently opened them, gasping as the fingers shoved past them and began playing with his tongue, smeared with his cum. "Ah-! Uhn, ah… Mm…" Sucking on the larger demon's fingers, he groaned and began lifting his hips. "Mmn…!"

The fingers pulled out of his mouth and clamped onto his waist, dragging him back down. The other demon growled and shoved him forward onto his hands and knees to begin pounding into him violently.

Joey howled and dug his claws into the hard-packed dirt beneath him. "Yes! Ahn! Yeah, harder!" He whined as the larger demon lifted a hand to catch one of his nipples, playing with the sensitive nub gently as he pinched and pulled on it gently. "Ah-! Nuu! Mm, yes-!" He reached back to grab the other demon's hair and cooed. "Wish I could watch ya fuck me-! Watch your dick movin' in and out—"

The other demon roared in what sounded like approval as he began pounding into him harder. Whining quietly as his legs were spread further, a shriek escaped his throat as it allowed the larger demon to thrust deeper.

Then he was swiftly flipped onto his back. He could only whimper in confusion, unsure of whether the other demon had even paused in his movements to turn him around. "Ah! Ahn! St—Mn—Oh!"

The larger demon reached down and grabbed his cock tightly, stroking it in time with his thrusts, then roared again, stiffening as he shoved into the writhing body beneath him. _**"Mine!"**_

Joey sighed as he came again and slid his arms around the other demon's neck, nuzzling into his shoulder. "…You're in rut, huh?" he asked after a moment. "I didn't know demons in rut could come so much…"

"Combined with a demon in heat driving me to madness? What did you think would happen?"

The blond shrugged slightly and yawned. "Mnh. …I'd offer t' make ya somethin', but I can't see."

The other demon huffed. "Is that why you haven't called me by name since I got here?"

"Huh?" Joey blinked in confusion and nuzzled his face further into the other demon's shoulder. "…Seto!"

Seto snorted in disgruntlement. "I would hope that you'd at least _try_ and be faithful."

Joey was immediately offended. "Oh, shut up! Ya just left one day without a word t' me and stayed away for a couple of weeks and ya expect me t' wait for ya when I've already spent a week of heat cryin' my eyes out and hopin' you'd come back? NOT. FUCKING. LIKELY."

"I had to go inform my brother that I would not be spending rut in my room. He didn't want me to leave for fear that I'd mate with a hussy," the brunet replied. "I kept trying to explain that I wasn't _going_ to; I already had."

The fire demon huffed, appalled. "Ya told him I'm a hussy?"

"…You sort of are," Seto muttered, glancing away. The blond smacked him, but it wasn't very hard. "Then he didn't want me to leave until I told him everything about you. Since most of the time we had together was fucking and sleeping, I had to bullshit. For days. I hadn't realized Mokuba was so incredibly protective of me. He grilled me about every aspect of you and after he finally let me stop, he told me that he knew I was lying and that I better come up with a good excuse as to why when I've always scolded him to be truthful."

Joey tilted his head and hummed, resting his hands on the brunet's chest and carefully sliding them down. He wanted to argue that he wasn't a hussy a little more, but when he realized he wanted to be fucked again, he figured maybe there was a little truth to it. "Hmm? What'd ya say then?"

"…I didn't. I just ran."

The blond snorted in surprise, then covered his mouth and turned his head, shoulders shaking with muffled laughter. Once he managed to get control of himself, he sat up straight and leaned forward to begin kissing and nipping the ice demon's neck. "'s at why you're so hot? 'cause you're in rut, too?"

"Yes. This is the most uncomfortable I have ever felt," Seto replied, tilting his head to give the blond more skin to suckle. "I have to inform you, though, that you will be returning to _my_ den with _me._ At least that way I'll have you there to help me explain to my little brother just what… this… is." He let his eyes drift shut and purred as he grasped the smaller demon's hips. "Mm, it felt so nice to be inside you… So wet and tight…"

"Guess ya better fuck your hussy then," Joey cooed, swiveling his hips. "But seriously. I wish I could watch ya fuckin' me."

Seto's breath hitched at the mental image of the blond twisting around to watch him fuck his tight hole. He swallowed thickly, then roared and slammed the younger boy down on his back. _**"MINE!"**_


	85. Falling

Author's Note: What did I just write? **3:**

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><p><span>Falling<span>

Seto remembered falling. He couldn't quite remember _why_ he'd been falling—just that he'd been resigned to being crushed upon the rocks below him.

That hadn't happened, though. He'd been caught by something—someone?—and had blacked out, but there was something warm and comforting about the way he was held that he didn't mind.

Peeling his eyes open slowly, he flinched as they were met by bright light and immediately shut them again. "Ugh."

"Your eyes hurt, huh?"

He felt a cool hand cup his cheek and leaned into it unconsciously. "Mm…"

"Poor thing. I knew usin' my magic on ya would leave ya with a huge headache." The cool hand on his cheek moved to brush over his forehead. "You'll just hafta tough it out, 'kay?"

Seto groaned and forced himself to open his eyes again, finally seeing tan skin and golden hair. Just before he began to close his eyes again, they were arrested by deep brown eyes that made his breath hitch. "You—"

The blond smiled and rested his fingers on his lips to keep him from talking. "You had quite a fall, love. Those villagers were ready t' stone ya." He leaned down to kiss him lightly. "But how'd ya know I'd catch ya when ya jumped, Seto?"

"Hmm?" Thinking back to what happened, his brows furrowed together. They relaxed as the other boy began to massage his temples. "…I didn't."

Joey leaned back, blinking in surprise. "Ya jumped off without knowin' I'd come and catch ya?"

"I didn't jump. …I tripped."

"You… trip—pffft!" The blond chuckled and leaned in to kiss him lightly. "Only you would run t' the edge of a cliff and trip off of it. Lemme guess—you were makin' a last stand and were gonna take out as many of those other humans as ya could before ya went down. You're silly, Seto."

Seto grumbled and closed his eyes, scowling. "Go away."

"Fine. I'll let ya rest." He leaned down to kiss him again, black scales shimmering over his skin for a moment, before he stood up straight. "I'll have somethin' finished for ya t' eat when ya next wake up. You'll feel better then." He glanced back at the brunet and grinned. "Hopefully you'll be up for somethin'… _else_ after ya eat."

"_I just fell off a cliff and you want me to have sex with you?_"

"…Well if you're gonna be grumpy about it, never mind!"

The brunet placed his arm over his eyes and sighed. "We'll see how I feel after I wake up." He paused, then muttered, "Thank you for catching me, Joey. I only remember falling and being caught, but thank you for being there."

Joey tilted his head and smiled before he closed the door to the room and allowed him to fall back to sleep. "You're welcome, Seto."


	86. Picking Up the Pieces

Author's Note: A follow-up to Unsettling Revelations.

There were sooo many places I could have stopped, but I didn't, and now it leave so many loose ends. OTL *dies*

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><p><span>Picking up the Pieces<span>

Seto brushed his lips over the blond's shoulder and sighed, tightening the grip around his waist and pulling him closer. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired," Joey murmured, yawning, and tangled their fingers together. "So tired, Seto…"

"You said you were going to get significantly better in the first two weeks." The older boy frowned and lifted their hands so he could gently kiss his knuckles. "It's been a week already and I haven't seen any significant improvement in your health."

"Hmm…" The blond shrugged. "You've fed me, helped me bathe, talked t' me, held me, and slept with me. What've we missed?"

"…Well, when you say 'slept with'—" Seto began slowly, then paused, waiting for the blond to huff and mutter that he was in no condition to do anything of the sort.

Instead, Joey paused, blinking thoughtfully. "…Well, no, I guess we haven't done that."

The brunet frowned. "Joey, I was just kidding. You're really not in any state to—"

"But it makes sense. We mated through sex. I was dyin' from lack of physical and emotional contact. Maybe that's what I need," the younger boy whispered thoughtfully. He turned to look back at the brunet and tilted his head. "It wouldn't hurt t' try. I mean, I won't be the most helpful, but maybe you could…?"

Seto stared at him for a few moments, then sighed and leaned in to kiss his neck gently. "Alright. This position is okay, right?"

The blond hummed. "Spoonin' is one of my favorites." He let his eyes drift shut as he felt his pants being pulled down his hips and sighed, arching his hips back weakly. "—Missed this, Seto…"

"I missed this, too," he answered quietly, nipping his shoulder lightly. Reaching down to gently rub the younger boy's stomach, he sighed as he felt the blond reach back and grasp his cock. "But mostly, I missed you."

Joey blushed a little and smiled. "No one as good in the sack, huh?"

"…Among other things," the brunet replied, sliding his hand up to gently pinch one of his nipples. "Where do you keep the lube?"

"Nn… Under the pillow."

Seto raised an eyebrow. "Really? Under the pillow?"

The blond's blush grew darker. "It's the same brand we always used t' use, same scent… Sometimes… Sometimes I'd get lonely and I'd… touch myself."

"…Thinking it was me?" the older boy asked quietly.

The silent but timid nod he received almost broke his heart. Joey had missed him, but still hadn't fought for him. He hadn't called him, hadn't asked to see him, hadn't even _thought_ about talking to him again. He'd just stepped aside, feeling guilty for mating with him without his knowledge, and had comforted himself with memories.

"—Hn!" Joey bit his bottom lip as he felt a slick finger slide into him, forcing himself to relax; he'd forgotten what someone else's fingers felt like. He was almost uncomfortable. "Nn…"

Seto licked his lips and slid a second finger inside of him. "Does that feel okay?"

The blond chuckled weakly. "Feels kinda weird. I'm so used t' it… with mine…" He gasped as the older boy's fingers delved deeper, eyes rolling back as he brushed the spot that made his vision go white as sparks seemed to travel throughout his entire body. "Oh Seto right there!"

"I know where it is," the brunet teased, stimulating that one spot as he wiggled in a third finger and began spreading them. "I didn't forget."

"Hhhn…" Joey tilted his head back and whimpered, tears forming in his eyes. He wanted nothing more than to arch back onto his fingers, but he felt too weak to even try. "Seto—Seto, I'm ready—"

"Don't be so impatient. I don't want to hurt you." Seto nuzzled into his neck and sighed. "Just a little longer, okay?"

"Missed ya," the blond whispered, squeezing his eyes shut. "Seto, please…!" He sighed as he felt the fingers being pulled out of him and leaned his head back as the older boy began kissing his shoulder again. "Mm… Seto…"

Seto lubed his erection, then nudged the head between his cheeks. "Are you sure? I don't want to hurt you."

"_Please,_" Joey whispered, turning his head to brush his lips over his cheek. "_Please,_ Seto."

"…Okay." The brunet leaned in to kiss his mouth and gently slid into him. "—Shit, I forgot how tight you are." He gripped his hip and frowned. "Does it hurt?"

The younger boy shook his head, lifting his hand to place it on top of the brunet's slowly. "No."

"Are you sure?" When the blond shot him a glare, he frowned. "I just don't want to hurt you, Joey. You're so weak, I—"

Joey looked back at him and whimpered, "_Please._"

Seto frowned. There was something about the way he said it that made him want to stop, but at the same time, he didn't think Joey would accept that. "Okay."

"Ah-!" The blond jerked his head back and groaned, biting his bottom lip as the older boy immediately thrust into that one spot. "Ngh! Ah…!" He reached back to dig his hand into the brunet's hair, gasping quietly as he arched his back. "Seto…!"

The older boy reached around to grasp his erection. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just… Uhn… It's been so long-!" Joey squeaked weakly. "Seto, if ya keep jackin' me off, I'm gonna—" He reached down and mewled as he grabbed the brunet's hand. "Please, just a little longer-!"

Seto sighed and instead rested his hand on the blond's hip. He didn't want to hurt him, but if Joey insisted, he wasn't going to argue. He'd just ignore him when he cried about it later. "I always pictured make-up sex a little… differently."

"Hm…!" The younger boy bit his bottom lip again, gripping the sheets in a white-knuckle grip. "Seto, 'm gonna come-!"

Joey had said that he had had sex with a few other people during the separation, but it had never been as satisfying as it had been with him. The last time he'd had a partner had been years ago, anyway. Joey wasn't going to last much longer now that the mate he'd longed for was touching him.

Seto leaned over to kiss him softly and sighed as the blond whimpered into his mouth as he came. He grunted as the smaller body clamped around him, reaching his own climax, then broke the kiss and opened his mouth to ask if he was still okay.

The moment he released Joey's lips, he immediately began sobbing.

Seto sat up in alarm, frowning. "Joey, what's wrong? Did I hurt you? I knew we shouldn't have—"

Joey covered his eyes with his arm and continued to cry as the brunet pulled out of him and turned him onto his back. "I was just-! I was so ready t' die! I was ready t' go, and then ya came back-! Ya wanted me back, Seto!" He covered his face with his hands. "I never thought ya'd want me back and even when I told ya that I'd mated with ya for life ya only got a little mad at me! Seto, I never even dreamed that this could work—that ya'd let me stay with ya—I just always knew that ya'd get tired of me and then I'd die-! I—"

He'd never even allowed himself to entertain the _idea _that Seto would stay with him.

Seto felt his heart break again. Joey had had sex with him _knowing_ that it wouldn't work out, _knowing _that he would die because Seto would break up with him and demand they never see each other again. He hadn't allowed himself to hope, to dream that maybe Seto might come to like him and want to keep him as his lover.

But even though his heart was breaking because the blond was already broken and hurting, Seto knew that now they had time to piece back together Joey's fragmented heart. He could show him that he had no intention of leaving him now, that he would be by his side from then on.

He could show him that he hadn't needed to worry. That he didn't need to cry anymore for what he thought _should_ have happened instead of what _did._

Seto kissed him gently, smiling a little as the younger boy sniffled and managed to kiss him back. Sitting up slightly, his smile grew a little more. "You actually look a bit healthier, Joey."

Joey blushed, unaware that he looked a little less pale and thin. "…I… I guess maybe it _was_ the lack of physical contact then."

"Do you feel a little stronger?" the brunet asked quietly.

"…Maybe." Joey lifted his hand to cup the older boy's cheek and breathed in sharply. "It didn't take as much t' do that." He looked up at him pleadingly. "Again? I'll try and last longer this time—"

"Maybe later," Seto cut in, leaning down to kiss him again when he saw how crestfallen he was. "You need a bath. It's been a while and I didn't exactly help you stay fresh just now." He stroked the blond's cheek. "We'll do this slowly. I don't want to hurt you, and you've been so weak I can't help but worry. I know you're impatient and that you want to get stronger faster, but _I_ want to be careful." He kissed him again. "I'll take care of you. Okay?"

Joey swallowed and bit his bottom lip. He wanted to be healthy again. He wanted to be able to do things on his own rather than have Seto carry him everywhere or feed him or fluff his fucking pillow. He wanted to walk to the bathroom and go by himself. He wanted to feed himself with his own hands, and he was _tired_ of soup even though he was really too weak to chew anything more than necessary. He _especially_ wanted to fluff his own pillow because _Seto always made it too fluffy on one side._

And he wanted to be able to wrap his arms around Seto and kiss him until they were both breathless.

But he couldn't.

Because he was too weak.

Seto watched the blond's eyes fill with tears again and gently pulled him up into a hug. "I know. You probably hate me right now, don't you?"

Joey huffed weakly and buried his face in the brunet's neck. "Don't hate ya."

"You just dislike the hell out of me?" the older boy teased, leaning back to smile at him.

"…'m in love with ya," Joey whispered, trembling a little. "Been in love with ya for years, Seto. I just didn't wanna upset ya if I said it t' ya." He ducked his head and lifted a hand to scrub at his eyes, trying to wipe the tears away before they fell. "I thought it would just make ya shove me away faster." He looked up and smiled weakly, the tears he hadn't been able to wipe away rolling down his cheeks. "We were just sex. Right?"

Seto's mouth fell open a little as he saw the tears of heartbreak and the sound of bitterness in the blond's voice. It was as if he was suddenly aware of the damage he'd caused, aware of how much he'd hurt his lover by thinking of him as _just sex._

"_I should probably get married. It's what everyone's expecting, and I do need an heir to the company." Seto played with the strands of the blond's hair and marveled at how soft it was—like he always did when he played with his hair._

_Joey blinked slowly. "Oh. What does that mean for us, then?"_

_The brunet paused. "…Well, I can't really risk looking like a player and date two people at once." He tilted his head. "And this was all just sex, wasn't it?" He noticed the blond's expression losing the warmth it had, but for some reason, he didn't look upset—just resigned. _

Resigned. Because he knew what he'd expected was coming true.

Resigned. Because he knew that even if he'd come to love Seto, Seto hadn't come to love him.

Resigned. Because he knew that it was _time_. Because he knew that his death, which had loomed just out of the picture, had swept in and he had reached the end of his perceived stolen happiness.

Seto felt as if a knife made of icy cold regret and anguish had been sunk into his stomach. "Joey—"

Joey's breath hitched as the brunet pulled him into a tight hug. "Seto…?"

"I'm so sorry, puppy," the older boy whispered, holding him tightly. "I'm so, _so_ sorry."

The blond blinked slowly, then nuzzled into his neck. "It's okay, Seto. It wasn't your fault. Ya didn't know. I didn't _want_ ya t' know."

And deep down Seto knew he was right, that he _shouldn't_ feel so terrible when Joey had kept these secrets from him in an effort to protect himself. It just felt wrong, though, to _not_ feel guilty, because Joey had been suffering for so long, all alone, with no one to confide in.

Joey let his eyes flutter closed as the older boy began to kiss his neck. "It's okay, Seto. It's okay."

Seto latched onto his pulse with his teeth gently. He wanted to tell him _no_, it wasn't okay, and he should stop trying to tell him it was, but he knew that Joey never would.

So he continued to nibble, kiss, and lick his neck until the blond melted against him and began to doze, then carried him to the bathroom to give him a bath.


	87. Gunshot

Author's Note: Hmm. **:|** How do I feel about this chapter? I didn't know where to end. So I ended it there. I didn't want to drag it out and beat it.

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><p><span>Gunshot<span>

Seto heard the gunshot, but was unaware of where it had come from. He heard the splatter of liquid on his leather coat and looked down, eyes widening when he saw the dark crimson dripping down in long red streaks. He realized that it couldn't be his blood, though, and he felt the hands that had been gripping his coat loosening.

He saw Joey's jaw go slack, eyes wide and confused as he looked down at the spot of red on his off-white t-shirt. Almost as if in slow motion, the spot grew into a grotesque rose of blood, a bloody stem dripping down until the fabric became too saturated. The blood dripped off the hem of his shirt to begin a puddle on the ground.

It had felt like time had slowed down, like nothing was around them.

Then Joey's legs buckled, and he looked up at him in confusion and—and betrayal? Why? He hadn't had anything to do with—

The world came rushing back as if it had been on pause and was suddenly rushing to catch up.

Seto couldn't help a yelp as Roland grabbed him and threw him into the nearby limo. The man had never been so rough with him before, even during other assassination attempts. He was about to snarl about it when Mokuba was promptly thrown on top of him. "_Ow!_"

"_Gah!_"

"Take them home!" Roland barked at the driver, then slammed the door shut.

The two heard the tires squeal as their driver hurried to follow the orders. Seto looked out the window, hoping to see if he could figure out what happened.

He saw a bunch of his bodyguards wrestling each other on the ground. Roland was kneeling over Joey, having taken off his jacket to use as a compress.

Then they turned a corner and the scene faded from sight, just as Tristan lunged forward to help his friend as he also stripped off his coat.

Mokuba sat up and breathed in shakily. "Seto, what just happened?"

Seto felt both angry and weak for not having a good answer for him. "I… I don't know, Mokuba."

"Is that Joey's bl—Seto, there's something stuck in your coat!" the younger boy gasped.

The brunet blinked, then looked down at his coat, feeling sick to his stomach when he saw the red-brown stain of the blond's blood. Seeing something glint in the middle of the splatter, he blinked, then grabbed his leather and carefully pried it out.

It was a bullet.

Seto jerked his head to look out the back window despite knowing that the scene was long gone.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"The fuck do I always get mixed up in your problems?" Joey complained weakly as he saw the brunet coming into the room. "Seriously, if someone's tryin' t' kill ya, they could at least wait until I'm outta the fuckin' way."

Seto paused, frowning, then stepped in further. He shut the door behind himself and walked over to sit in the chair next to the bed. "It wasn't an assassination attempt."

The blond blinked at him tiredly. "Wasn't?"

"No." Seto ran a hand through his hair. He hadn't imagined this being quite so difficult to say. "One of my new bodyguards was a little… overzealous, when it came to protecting me." When the younger boy only stared at him, he sighed. "Somehow he managed to get someone to forge his psyche evaluation. He's obsessed with me and he takes his job to protect me… quite personally."

Joey frowned. "What are ya sayin', Kaiba?"

The brunet tilted his head and glanced away. "He saw you grab me and get in my face. Despite this being a regular occurrence and informing my bodyguards that they were in no way to interfere with my altercations with you, he disregarded that order and…" He sighed and looked back at the blond, unable to help feeling guilty for his injury despite the fact that he hadn't known about the man's psychosis and it certainly hadn't been his job to protect Joey.

"…He was tryin' t' kill me," the younger boy whispered, brows furrowing together. "'Cause he thought I was gonna hurt ya?"

"Unfortunately, yes. Of course, he's been fired and is being prosecuted. I can't forgive this. What if it had been someone else? What if he'd gotten jealous of _Mokuba_ touching me? I couldn't just let him—"

"I was gonna kiss ya."

Seto went silent, frowning, as the blond looked up at him, before continuing as if he hadn't spoken. "I couldn't just let him get away with this. Technically, he had the right to protect me after you put your hands on me, but he didn't give you any warning and he certainly didn't have to immediately go for his gun."

Joey stared at him for a few moments, then repeated, "I was gonna kiss ya."

The brunet raised an eyebrow. "Joey, you were yelling at me."

"…I promised myself I was gonna leave ya speechless. So I was gonna kiss ya and leave." The younger boy smiled. "I guess maybe I deserved it. That was a stupid idea."

Seto scowled. "A stupid idea does not deserve to be met with getting shot, you _idiot._"

The blond stared at him a few moments longer, then smiled again. "Kaiba, I think I'm doped."

"I figured." He huffed. "You were shot."

Joey snuggled into his pillow and sighed, eyelids drooping. "'m tired."

"You should be. They told me you got out of surgery a few hours ago and still haven't slept."

"…Will ya kiss me goodnight, Kaiba?"

Seto opened his mouth to snarl that he was an idiot, then paused. The blond was clearly as high as a kite. He was certain that if Joey was in a clear state of mind, he'd demand to be closed in a room with the former bodyguard to exact his own form of justice, not saying he may have deserved it. Hell, he probably wouldn't even remember this the next day.

So he sighed, then stood up and leaned over the bed to gently kiss him on the mouth.

Joey smiled a dopey smile as he pulled away, eyes finally drifting closed. "G'night, Kaib'."

"Goodnight," Seto replied, then, before he could stop himself, reached out to brush his long hair out of his face.

He paused a moment, fingers hovering over the blond's face, then slid his hand down to rest on his side, frowning. The bleached white bandages seemed to shine in the bright lights the hospital seemed so fond of.

He stared at the bandages, imagining the hole in the blond's flesh on either side. The bullet had passed clean through his body. Luckily it hadn't hit anything vital, but it had passed through his shoulder—through the scapula. He was in for some physical therapy after it healed. In any case, he had a metal plate in there now. He'd have to get used to metal detectors beeping whenever he passed through them.

Seto sat back in the chair and sighed, then buried his face in his hands.


	88. Possession

Author's Note: Was I the only one that came up with this interpretation? Yes? Oh, okay then. *skulks away*

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><p><span>Possession<span>

'_This is the dumbest movie ever.'_ Seto leaned his head on his hand and sighed, frowning.

He had no idea why he had said he'd watch the movie. It wasn't as if it was a cinematic masterpiece, and he certainly wasn't a fan of horror and gore. Hell, this wasn't even realistic. Even if the girl was possessed, if her head turned all the way around like that, it would just pop off.

He huffed in disgruntlement. _'Why the hell am I even watching this?'_

"Ngh-!" Joey shuddered and hid his face in the brunet's shoulder, peeking up at the screen nervously. He gasped and snuggled closer to him, nearly sitting in his lap. "Nn!"

Seto glanced down at him in concern, then looked back at the TV, wrapping his arm around the blond and hiding his smile behind his hand. _'Oh, right. That's why.'_ He leaned over to kiss the younger boy's temple gently. "I'm here, puppy."

"Oh God Seto if I ever get possessed just _kill me,_" Joey whimpered, snuggling his face into the brunet's neck.

Seto hummed quietly. He'd do no such thing of course, even if Joey _did_ happen to get possessed (judging by Yugi, Ryou, and Malik, it was technically a legitimate fear), he had no intention of letting him die that way. "I'll take the most appropriate course of action, puppy."

The blond sat up and narrowed his eyes at him. "Is that your way of makin' 'I'll do whatever the hell I want' sound smart?"

"…Yes."

"You're lucky you're cute and I knew ya were gonna say no anyway," Joey muttered, turning his attention back to the TV. He immediately shrieked and threw his arms around the brunet's shoulders, hiding his face in his neck in complete terror.

Seto patted him on the back awkwardly. "It's alright puppy."

"Oh _gawd._"

The brunet sighed and rolled his eyes, but then the younger boy snuggled even closer, and he decided he could put up with the whining. Especially since he knew he'd be getting puppy lovin' later. Joey was always horny after a horror movie for whatever reason. And he was okay with that.


	89. Twilight

Author's Note: Follow-up to Heart Song.

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><p><span>Twilight<span>

Seto checked his sand dial and frowned, then looked up at the sky. Twilight had never seemed so long. He needed the sky to fade into complete, inky blackness. He needed the cover of night to get up to the tower without being noticed.

He heard the blond's voice above him and couldn't help his eyes drifting closed as he listened to the honey-sweet voice. That had been the first thing that had drawn him to the other boy, after all—that voice that lilted so sweetly that even his summoned beasts fell prey to vocal powers.

"_Ungh…" Seto ran a hand through his hair and sighed, groping blindly for the cup of tea his brother had left for him. "Mokubaaaa…!"_

"_Seto, the healers said you shouldn't have too much of that tea. It's really potent. It could send you into a sleep you wouldn't wake up from!" the younger boy exclaimed, wishing he could help his older brother himself._

_He'd never seen him so miserable, suffering from fever and illness and restless dreams that made him want to stay awake longer. He'd been drinking so much tea that only the highest doses of herbs would help him anymore—__**dangerously**__ high doses. He knew he didn't have the skills to help his brother though, so he looked up at the blond that had said he could help and frowned pleadingly._

"_You said you could help him?"_

_Seto grunted, realizing that his brother had probably hired someone else to heal him and hating that his brother was so gullible as to let anyone in. "No—" His breath hitched as he felt a cool hand on his cheek, staring up blearily into warm brown eyes._

_The blond leaned down to brush his lips over the brunet's forehead before whispering, "__**Sleep.**__"_

_Seto relaxed a little, confused as to why he suddenly felt safe enough to do so. Then the stranger began to sing, and he felt himself being lulled into a sleep that finally resulted in rest._

Seto opened his eyes and looked up at the balcony. He was putting the guards to sleep. Stepping out of the cover of trees, he motioned for the dragon he'd summoned to follow him. "Come on. It's dark enough."

The black dragon prowled after him carefully, sticking to the darkest shadows, then crawled up the tower slowly, extending his neck and body to their fullest extent. His head came just above the rail of the balcony.

Seto took a deep breath and climbed up the dragon carefully, whispering apologies whenever the dragon grunted in affront until he made it up to the balcony. Resting his hands on the balcony, he quietly called, "Joey?"

Joey rushed out of his room and immediately threw his arms around his neck. "Seto!"

He hugged him back tightly and rested his mouth on his neck, kissing and nipping his neck gently. "I've missed you. I've been looking all over for you."

The blond hid his face in the older boy's shoulder. "I missed you too, Seto!"

Seto heard the black dragon wheeze irritably and wrapped his arms around his waist tightly. "Time to go. I hope you didn't have anything you wanted to keep in there."

Joey smiled and patted the small leather bag hanging from his shoulder. "I already got my stuff together. Take me home!"

The brunet kissed him quickly before helping him over the rail of the balcony and reaching out to grab one of the dragon's horns. "Let's go then."

"Hi, Akai. I'll make ya some meat pie when ya get us home," the blond whispered, and the dragon was suddenly much more agreeable as he leapt into the sky.

Seto huffed. "Why do you insist on fattening up all of my summons?"

Joey pressed up against him and purred, "I'll be fattening you up, too, Seto. I haven't been able to cook for anyone for quite a while and the first thing I want to do is make meals for you, Mokuba, and Akai."

The brunet bit his earlobe lightly. "Could it be the second thing you do instead?"

The younger boy blushed brightly, then giggled. "No. It'll be the first thing. The second thing I want to do, though…" He trailed his fingertips over the brunet's chest. "Well, we can do it after I feed you and your brother."

Akai huffed.

Joey looked down at him and laughed. "And you, too, Akai. Don't worry, I won't forget you."

Seto chuckled and leaned in to kiss his cheek. "I won't let anyone take you away again, Joey. I promise."

"I know you won't, Seto. Thank you," the blond purred, snuggling up against him. "I must have gotten something in my eyes. Sorry."

"It's probably since it's been so long since you've been flying," Seto replied, hugging him tightly. "Don't worry. You'll get used to it again."

Joey smiled. "Maybe."


	90. Nowhere and Nothing

Author's Note: Follow-up to Faith. You remember that one? It's way back there. **:/ **What intent did I even start this theme with?

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><p><span>Nowhere and Nothing<span>

"Where are you going?" Joey asked, frowning, and began following the brunet to the door.

Seto shrugged a shoulder. "Nowhere."

"…Okay." As the older boy stepped outside, he stopped in the doorway and leaned his head on the wood, brows furrowing together. "What are you gonna do then?"

The brunet turned to glance back at him. "Nothing."

Joey stood up straight. "Don't—Shou—Seto, ya shouldn't—"

"Just leave me alone," Seto spat, turning to walk away. "I don't want to talk about my _feelings,_ and I _certainly_ don't want to talk about them with _you._ It's not like you'd be able to help me, anyway."

Joey flinched and took a step back, then huffed and slammed the door shut. "Fine!"

Seto sighed and lifted his hand to rub his eyes tiredly, flinching when his fingers met the leather strip covering his eye—or where his eye had been. He'd been lucky enough—rich enough—to afford a glass eye to keep the socket from collapsing in a grotesque mess. He'd gotten used to only seeing with one eye, so he could navigate his way with only a little difficulty when it came to depth perception.

But he was still missing a fucking eye. He pretended not to notice that people stared at him when he went out, but it still pissed him off.

He'd been weak. He'd been vulnerable. He'd been blinded as his comrades were struck down. And then he'd hallucinated being rescued by his patron dragon—because that _obviously_ hadn't happened. He refused to believe it had.

He refused to believe he'd been so pathetic and so close to death that his patron dragon had _pitied_ him so much that it had to come save him.

Seto paused as he saw something out of the corner of his eye, turning to look in the store window. He hummed quietly when he saw that it was a cookbook.

Joey had said he'd wanted a cookbook at some point. He hadn't wanted it when Seto had been called into service. He'd said it would feel empty, not having him there to taste the food he'd made by being able to read. He hadn't wanted it before then because he hadn't felt comfortable enough in his reading abilities and he didn't want help.

Mokuba had said Joey had really improved his reading skills while he'd been gone. He was almost up to the level he should have been at in school.

…Certainly high enough to be able to read a cookbook.

Seto pulled out his change purse to see how much money he had, then stepped inside the store.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey turned his head as he heard the door open, then huffed, resolutely looking back down at the book on his lap. It wasn't an incredibly interesting book—in fact, he sort of hated it. It was boring.

But it was better than talking to Seto. He'd been irritable ever since he'd come back from the front lines and he knew he really shouldn't push him to talk, but he was so withdrawn before that, and now—

"What are you doing?"

Joey huffed again and lifted the book from his lap.

Seto raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I see." He paused, then knelt behind him and slid his arms around his waist. "So you're too busy to pay attention to me then?"

The blond snorted and turned his head. "You're too busy broodin' t' pay attention t' me, so why should I stop doin' somethin' that actually helps me to pay attention t' _you?_"

Seto paused. "…Point taken. Fine, then, I'll just leave you to your book—"

Oh God Seto actually wanted to talk to him and spend time with him!

Turning, he threw his arms around the brunet's shoulders. "Wait, wait, wait!"

Seto chuckled and sat down, pulling the younger boy into his lap. "You're so easy to predict, Joey."

"Shut up," Joey muttered, snuggling into his chest. "I've really missed ya, Seto. Even when you're here, it feels like you're somewhere else."

"…Yes, well… I'm sorry about that." He jerked his head away when the blond reached up to touch the strip of leather hiding his glass eye. "_Stop trying to touch it!_ Jeez!"

Joey flinched as the brunet grabbed his wrist. "Ow!"

"You know I don't like it when you try to touch it, so why do you persist?" Seto hissed, glaring at him. His anger immediately dissipated when the blond leaned in to kiss his nose. "Damn it, how do you do that?"

"Just part o' my charm," the younger boy cooed, fingers trailing gently over the leather. "And I keep touchin' it 'cause I think it's sexy."

"Charm, right. Of course it is—" Seto paused, then frowned. "You think this eye patch is sexy?"

Joey blushed and glanced away. "Well… Yeah. Didja forget where I come from?" He peeked up at him and bit his bottom lip. "You're pretty handsome. It makes ya look more… more rugged."

Seto tilted his head, then grinned—an expression that was quite dangerous on him. "You think I'm handsome? _Ruggedly_ handsome?"

The blond covered his face. "Shut up. Your terrible attitude takes away from it. Your looks are the only thing ya got goin' for ya right now."

The older boy frowned. "…That's my only redeeming feature?"

Joey huffed and leaned back. "Ya snapped at Mokuba this mornin' for somethin' stupid and you've been really mean t' both of us! And ya have nightmares some nights but we can't help ya because the last time we tried ya _threw us_ out of your room! Seto, I know ya don't wanna talk about it, but—"

Seto grabbed the cookbook and held it up. "I bought this for you. Mokuba says you're probably able to read it now."

The blond's face twisted into a cross between genuine happiness and heartbroken rejection. He took the book and hugged it to his chest, bowing his head in frustration. "…Thank you."

The older boy frowned and reached up to cup his cheek. "Joey, I can't. I just… can't."

Joey jerked away from his hand and scowled. "Of course ya can't. Because, ya know, we don't care enough about ya t' wanna know what's goin' on in your head so we can help ya."

"…I don't even know myself, yet." Seto turned his head away and sighed quietly. "…I wish I could— …I can't."

He remembered his compatriots standing next to him. He remembered the ground rumbling and ripping apart beneath them. He remembered fiery winds whipping around and slicing and burning his comrades to death, just barely clipping the side of his body and giving him the wound that had cost him his eye.

Right.

Fucking.

Next to him.

And he would never tell anyone about it, because he didn't want to make them suffer that horror like he had.

Joey gasped quietly as the brunet hugged him tightly, eyes widening as the older boy buried his face in his neck. He felt the brunet's chest heave a few times, felt a drop of liquid rolling down his neck, and realized that Seto could probably do with a hug or a pat on the back right now. He squirmed a little, finally wriggling his arm out from between them and reaching up to stroke his hair lightly. "Seto, you're gonna be okay."

But he wouldn't be. He knew he'd never be okay because he'd watched men standing not even three feet away from him _die_, had had his eye ripped from his skull, had faced down enemies that had fully intended to kill _him_ and he'd still somehow managed to get away.

Joey could sense something was wrong, but he couldn't tell what, so he just continued to stroke his hair and whisper reassurances to him. "It's okay, Seto. Everything will work out. You'll see. You'll be okay."

Seto dug his nails into the blond's back but simply continued to hold him and let a few more tears roll down his cheeks.


	91. Answers

Author's Note: Follow-up to Troubling Thoughts. Fanfic's been weird the past few days. I posted my last chapter two days ago and the chapter's just now being posted today, and I'm just now getting a few messages. What's up with that?

* * *

><p><span>Answers<span>

"You complain about your father so much. You know, you could always come live with me," Seto purred, slapping the water with his tail gently. "You'd never have to worry about your father hurting you ever again."

Joey smiled. "Ya think ya have all the answers, don't ya, Seto?" He leaned in to kiss the brunet's nose and giggled quietly when the Mer's tail slapped the water again, harder.

"You tease me, Joseph." Seto leaned his forehead against the blond's, then tilted his head, glancing down the human's body. "May I touch your legs again?"

The blond huffed. "Seto, ya just felt 'em an hour ago."

"I'll let you feel my tail." The Mer watched the other boy's face twist with indecision, forcing himself not to smirk at how easily manipulated the younger boy was. "I'll even come up on the dock so you won't have to get wet."

Joey tilted his head, frowning. "Well, I… I guess, I don't mind, then."

Seto braced his hands on the dock and immediately hoisted himself up, swinging his tail up onto the dock with a quiet splash. He took a moment to settle himself, then turned his attention back to the blond. "Well, give them to me then."

"Psh, give 'em. You're a jerk." The blond sat up and turned around, extending his legs in front of him so one leg pressed up against the brunet's tail. "—Sheez, you're cold!"

Seto slid his hand up the blond's leg and hummed. "Such strange things." He hooked his hand under his knee and frowned. "I still don't understand this."

"We need to be able t' walk, silly." Joey slid his hand over the smooth white scales and couldn't help a smile. "So smooth!" He squeaked as the brunet's hand slid up the inside of his thigh and reached down to grab his wrist quickly. "_Seto!_"

The Mer frowned. "What?"

"I know we're friends but ya don't really need t' get _that_ friendly!" the blond hissed in embarrassment. "Jeez!" He blushed as he was pulled closer and squealed. "Eek!"

Seto hummed, resting his hands on the blond's hips, then slid them down his legs. "I can imagine you with a tail." He plucked at the denim of his jeans gently. "A strong black tail. Your scales would be so glossy that your tail might look blue in the light."

Joey blushed a little more. "Oh-!"

Seto licked his lips slowly and grinned when the blond bashfully turned his gaze on the water. "You could become a Mer. I'd show you how to swim and what to eat. I'd take care of you. It would be fun."

The younger boy looked down at his lap and smiled. "Well, that's a nice thought, Seto, but I'm afraid I gotta say no again."

"Joey, you're making this incredibly difficult for me. I've told you I want to be with you and you still won't come to me." Seto pursed his lips irritably. "Have you found someone else?"

Joey snorted. "Don't be stupid. As much as I might hate my dad, he still needs me, and I have a little sister I need to take care of, too." He reached out to stroke the brunet's tail again. "I've told ya before. It just wouldn't work."

"But you're my Other Half. We're meant to be together."

The blond sighed and rolled his eyes, smile fading. "Seto, I said no, and I'm gonna keep sayin' no every time ya ask me. This is my world. I'm comfortable here. You're a great guy and if I were a Mer, I'd do ya in a heartbeat. But I'm a human, and I belong up here."

Seto sighed and rolled his eyes. "I'm going to keep asking until you change your mind, you know." He flinched as the blond's hand lifted toward his face a little too quickly for his taste, but relaxed when he merely cupped his cheek.

Joey leaned in to kiss him lightly, smiling, then leaned back. "I'm not gonna change my mind, Seto. But you can keep askin' if ya want."

"I believe we've come to a standoff." Seto smirked. "We'll just have to see which one of us caves first."

Joey smiled. "Whatever, Seto. I know I'm not gonna. Life's not perfect up here, but… it's mine. And I know how t' live it."

"Hmm. If you say so." Seto looked up at the sky and frowned. "Time to go. Those policemen will be here soon." He couldn't help a smile as the human leaned in to kiss him again. "You're certainly tempting me to try out this human thing. Mers rarely touch each other with their lips."

"You guys are really missin' out then. Kissin's _awesome_, and makin' out is even better."

The brunet raised an eyebrow, frowning. "'Makin' out?'"

He jumped slightly as the blond threw his arms around his neck, wrapping his arms around him in confusion. "Mm-?" All of the sudden he felt something slimy in his mouth, and his first thought was to bite it, because he was used to eating fish, but then he remembered that Joey's mouth was on his, and he'd already expressed distaste for eating a live, wriggling fish.

So that must be his tongue.

Seto couldn't help a startled moan when the human gave his tongue a suck, shuddering, then pulled him closer.

Joey broke the kiss to gently nip and kiss his chin and jaw, then licked his way back to the Mer's lips and kissed him again, giggling quietly when the brunet immediately thrust his tongue into his mouth. "Mm!" He wrestled with it a moment before leaning back, unaware of the trail of saliva trickling from the corner of his mouth. "That's makin' out."

The brunet opened his mouth, but all that came out was a squeak as he saw the trail of drool and imagined how he'd look if they'd kissed even longer. He was hot, and he wasn't used to feeling that way unless it was mating time back home. He hadn't known it was even possible to be aroused out of season.

Joey's smile turned awkward. "…Ya didn't like it?" He began to lean back, but then the brunet's arms tugged him back swiftly. "Gah!"

"We should makin' out more often," Seto informed him, pressed a kiss to his lips quickly, then turned and slid into the water without a trace he'd been there except for the wet spot on the blond's pants.

Joey stared, blinking in confusion. "…Wha-?" He turned sharply as he heard voices, then cursed, standing and running off the dock as quietly as he could. He could have waited to show Seto what making out was until the next night.

Remembering the glazed-over look the Mer had given him and the sounds he'd made while they'd kissed, he chuckled. Well, he couldn't say he was sorry about it.

Because he really wasn't.


	92. Innocence

Author's Note: Follow-up to Perfection. This is set several years later.

* * *

><p><span>Innocence<span>

Seto swooped down to the entrance of their den and sighed, nose twitching at the scent of blood covering his maw. It was their anniversary, so he'd tried quite hard to get a buffalo big enough to satisfy both he and his mate. He hoped Joey would like it. He wasn't the biggest fan of buffalo, but it was the only animal large enough for both of them to eat and be full.

Stepping further into the den, he couldn't help a loud purr when he found that his children had come to visit. They'd brought their own kits, and it was clear that Joey had appreciated their coming. He'd almost forgotten what true innocence looked like.

It looked like his mate surrounded by dozens of tiny bodies of grandchildren and the larger forms of their parents. He purred, watching as Soji grumbled as one of his kits clawed at his stomach and turned him to face away. Kisara was suckling her kits and dozing as Joey's tail rubbed along her own, something he'd done since she'd been a kit herself. Akai had his head hidden under his wing, and was unconsciously hiding his own kits with it, too.

Joey lifted his head as he advanced further into the den and smiled. "Seto. Look at our babies' babies." He turned his head to look down at them and carefully stroked one of the tiny kit's face with the tip of his claw. "We used to have babies. Look at how grown up they are, Seto. They're beautiful and they made beautiful kits."

Seto dipped his head to set the buffalo on the ground, licking his scaly lips and purring as he leaned over and swiped the younger dragon's black scales with his tongue. "It helps that they had a beautiful mother."

Joey's scales turned pink in embarrassment. "Oh, Seto, stop it."

The white dragon grasped the carcass of the buffalo in his claws and purred, pushing it forward a little. "Happy anniversary, love."

"Aw, Seto, ya shouldn't have," the black dragon cooed.

Soji lifted his head, blinking blearily. "Buffalo?"

Seto scowled. "How do you do that, you little black hole? This is for your mother and me. Go back to sleep. Go back to sleep this instant."

The younger dragon yawned. "But Dad, I'm hungry."

Kisara came out of her doze and hummed. "Daddy? Did you bring us something?"

"What? No. It's for your mother and me. Go back to sleep."

Joey chuckled as Akai's wing unfurled, blinking tiredly as his nose twitched. "Do I smell buffalo?"

Seto rolled his eyes angrily and threw his wings out. "I GIVE UP!"

Joey heaved himself to his feet and carefully made his way over to him, cautiously avoiding the smaller bodies of his grandchildren. He looked up at his mate and smiled. "It's okay, Seto. Thanks for bringin' it."

"You're welcome." The white dragon wrinkled his nose irritably and huffed. After a moment, he sighed. "…Well, you don't like buffalo anyway. How about these little _gluttons_—" He fixed their children with a sharp stare. "—Eat the buffalo while we go out to eat?"

"Oh, Dad, you got that buffalo for Mama," Kisara argued, frowning, and promptly slapped Soji in the head with her tail as he began inching toward the dead beast.

Joey snorted in amusement and nuzzled his mate's neck lovingly. "Let's go out. It's been a while since we hunted together."

"That's because the last time we hunted together you slapped my wings so I wouldn't catch a deer before you. I fell into a lake," Seto growled, but reached down to nibble the bases of his wings. "You're awful."

"Aw, Seto. I promise I'll let ya have the first deer," the younger dragon cooed.

"So I can have this buffalo?" Soji asked, creeping toward it again.

Kisara glared at him. "_Soji!_"

Akai rolled his eyes and sighed, then stood, stretching out to grab the carcass in his maw and drag it around out of his brother's reach. He dropped it and yawned, then promptly covered his head with his wing again.

Soji and Kisara stared.

"…Your brother always _was_ good at makin' you two stop bickering," Joey murmured fondly.

Seto began ushering him out quickly. "Until they both explode at him. Come on, let's go. Before they tackle him. Go. _Go._"

"YOU THREE WATCH OUT FOR MY GRANDBABIES!" Joey roared before he leapt from the den and spread his wings.

There was a chorus of 'yes mom's before the two heard angry screeches as the three adults left in the den began going after each other.

Seto snorted. "Sometimes I think we should have more kits. But then they wake up and I realize I'm okay with just them."

Joey turned to peer at him and smiled. "Really? I was just thinkin' I'd really like t' have more kits."

"Then we'll have more."

The black dragon stared, brows furrowing together, then paused, hovering in the air. "Seto, ya just said you were okay with only the three of 'em."

Seto turned to face him and tilted his head. "If you want more, we'll have more."

"Seto, what you want is important to me, too!" Joey exclaimed, frowning.

"I've always wanted more kits," the larger dragon replied. "But you said no, and since you're the one carrying the eggs, I respected that. If you could lay the eggs so we could both take care of them equally, I might have argued a little, but you carry them until they're ready to hatch. You were so uncomfortable last time, I didn't want to push you." He smiled. "If you want more kits, I'd be happy. But if you don't want that stress on your body again, I'll understand and be happy with what I have."

The younger dragon swallowed thickly and turned his head away. "I—I got somethin' in my eyes."

Seto flew a little closer to him and carefully swiped his tongue over the black dragon's nose. "I just want you to be happy."

Joey sniffled and looked up at him, then smiled. "Seto, I think I'm ready t' have more now."

The way the white dragon beamed at him helped him to know that that was probably the best anniversary gift he'd ever give to his caring mate.


	93. Simplicity

Author's Note: Follow-up to A Place to Belong. …This one was hilarious for me. I don't know why. Felines, you amuse me.

* * *

><p><span>Simplicity<span>

"…Seto."

Seto grimaced.

Joey glared at him. "_Seto._"

"Nhr…" The brunet glanced around for an escape, found none that would result in immediate redemption, and promptly slid under the bed.

"_SETO YOU ATE MY GOLDFISH!_"

Seto hissed as the blond caught his ankles and dragged him out from under his bed, claws digging into the wood floor. "_No!_"

"Don't tell me no, asshole!" Joey snarled, glaring at him again. "Fish don't run away and I didn't take it!" The human jabbed his finger at the bowl. "Yugi won that fish for me at the fair! How could you!"

The feline glanced away and huffed petulantly. "Hungry."

"If you're hungry then raid the icebox! It's not like ya haven't done it before!" the blond exclaimed, throwing his hands up. "Ya just ate a gift from my best friend! I can't believe you'd see it and your first instinct is t' _eat it—_" He paused when he saw the smug expression flicker on the brunet's face, then scowled. "Seto. Did you eat my fish because it was from Yugi?"

Seto turned his head away and huffed. "_No._"

Joey narrowed his eyes. "Are you lyin' t' me?"

The cat sat up straight, the epitome of pride as he slowly replied, "Nooo."

They were silent, then, glaring at each other in a standoff that one of them would eventually have to lose. Joey placed his hands on his hips and glared harder, brows furrowing together angrily. Seto turned to meet his gaze, hoping the bored expression on his face gave nothing away. His tail twitched.

"OH MY GOD YOU _ARE_ LYIN' T' ME! YOU'RE EVEN LYIN' ABOUT LYIN'!" the blond roared furiously. When the feline flinched, looking both confused and annoyed, he hissed, "_Your tail always twitches t' the left when ya lie._"

Seto turned to glare at his tail. _'Traitor.'_

"Don't blame this on your tail, asshole! Ya ate my fish!" The human stomped his foot angrily. "Ya jerk! And it _is_ because Yugi won it for me, isn't it!"

The brunet's ears pressed flat against his skull in annoyance, then he huffed, dipping his head petulantly. "…Yes."

"_Seto!_" Joey sighed loudly. "Ya have nothin' t' be jealous about! He's just a friend and he's already got someone else!"

Seto growled quietly, then turned and sauntered over to the bed again, curling up in the middle of it. "Mrh."

"Asshole," the blond muttered again, turning toward the sad-looking bowl of water where a yellow fish _should_ have been swimming. He picked it up and sighed. "See if I let ya mate with me tonight."

Seto growled again, but the human shot him such a dirty look that he immediately silenced himself.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey sighed and frowned, tilting his head sadly. "How does this always end up happenin'?"

Seto purred proudly and continued to knead his shoulders. "Mine!"

"…Whatever…" the blond muttered, laying his head on his arms. "You're heavy." He blushed as the feline only settled himself more firmly between his legs, hips pressed together tightly. "Ngh… Why'd ya hafta eat my fish, anyway? Ya coulda just told me t' get rid of it because it upset ya."

The brunet paused, then huffed. "Mine."

Joey moaned as the larger boy's hands traveled down his back, kneading roughly but firmly. His eyes rolled back as he found a particularly tight muscle with his clawed fingers and massaged it out. "Oh, _Seto!_"

Seto's purr grew louder at the obvious pleasure he'd given his mate. "Hmmmm?"

Joey sighed and turned onto his back, looking up at him through glazed-over eyes. "…Seto, were ya really that jealous of the fish Yugi won for me?"

The brunet's mood immediately soured. He huffed and jerked his head away in annoyance. "Tch." He began to growl as the younger boy cupped his cheeks, but then he was drawn into a long, sweet kiss. He couldn't bring himself to be angry when his mate was kissing him.

Joey broke the kiss and smiled at him gently. "Was it because ya thought he was givin' me food?" When the brunet jerked his head away, he chuckled quietly. "That's it, isn't it? Ya thought he was tryin' t' provide for me?"

Seto dipped his head further, ears wilting in shame. Now that he thought about it, it seemed really stupid. Joey hadn't been interested in eating the fish at all. He just had difficulty remembering that humans didn't regard all fish as food. And now he'd made an ass out of himself for being a jealous tom.

Joey couldn't help a giggle. Sometimes he was surprised by the simplicity of the brunet's mind. Other times, he was astounded by the complexity of it. "Oh, Seto. You're adorable."

Seto wasn't used to being called adorable, but he decided it wasn't a bad thing. He began purring again and leaned down to run his tongue over one of his nipples. "Mine…"

"Ah!" The blond jerked slightly at the feel of his rough tongue on such a sensitive part of his body, then groaned and rolled his head back. "_Ooh,_ Seto, that's _good._" He gasped as the feline began thrusting against him and groaned. "God, Seto-!"

The brunet began kneading his sides again, nudging his hard cock into his damp hole. "Mm… Tight…" He hissed quietly as the human clenched around him and spread his legs for a better angle, then leaned down to press against him, tongue rasping over his neck as he humped him.

Joey moaned and arched his hips up to meet his thrusts, eyes fluttering closed as the older boy's furry tail wrapped around his left thigh. "Nn, that's nice…!"

"Damn…!" Seto rumbled low in his chest and closed his teeth on the blond's shoulder, not hard enough to break the skin, but certainly hard enough to bruise as the younger boy began groaning and panting in obvious pleasure. He felt the human's nails scratching over his back and purred, reaching down to paw at the blond's erection tenderly. "Mine."

"Uhn-! Ah!" The younger boy whimpered and bit his bottom lip. "Seto, _please—_" His breath hitched as the feline twisted around to swipe at his other nipple with his rough tongue again. "Oh! Seto, yes!" He arched his back and screeched as he reached his climax, eyes rolling back. "Ooh, _yesss._"

Seto began purring again as he released into him. "_Mine!_"

Joey panted and laid his arm over his eyes, chest heaving as the brunet's claws danced over his skin playfully. "Oh God… Seto… Hnn…" He hummed and uncovered his eyes, gazing up at him affectionately. "Yugi could never make me feel like this, Seto."

The feline couldn't help his purr growing louder with pride. "_Mine._"

"You cats and your egos," the blond chuckled breathlessly. "Ya better clean me up before we fall asleep."

Seto purred louder, and he hadn't even realized that was possible. Pulling out of the blond, he shivered at the quiet 'mew' he heard and pushed his legs up, nuzzling between his legs. "_Mine…_"

"_Gah!_" Joey shuddered violently as the brunet's rough tongue swiped over his sensitive hole. "_God_ yes Seto keep goin' _uhn…!_"

The feline continued to purr and clean him up. "My Joey."

"Mmn, yeah… Your Joey… Yes…" The blond arched his hips up and sighed. "Good kitty."

Seto sat up in disgruntlement, scowling. "What?"

Joey's eyes fluttered open slowly. "Hmm?"

The brunet hissed, offended. "_Kitty?_"

The younger boy blinked, then blushed a little in embarrassment. Seto hated it when he was called a kitty. "Oh-! I'm sorry, Seto."

The feline rumbled in agitation but returned to cleaning him, grumbling every once in a while about being called something as degrading as 'kitty.'

He couldn't really bring himself to mind _too_ much, though. His mate was sexy, sweet, and feisty, so he'd put up with being called a kitty every once in a while.

Especially since Joey clearly wasn't holding the goldfish incident against him. Perhaps he'd do some hunting and bring Joey a present.

Joey gasped and arched his back. "_Seto!_"

Or maybe he'd just continue to lick him until he came again. That was not a terrible idea either, especially when Joey looked up at him with eyes that expressed nothing but love and adulation.


	94. Reality

Author's Note: Follow-up to Breakfast. Time skip of a few years. Also, I've always imagined Seto to be a lucid but uncoordinated drunk. I don't know why. **:|** He just looks like that sort of person. Also, if he seems sober and then all of the sudden DRUNK!, it's because I have never actually watched a person get drunk except on TV. Yup. I am sheltered.

* * *

><p><span>Reality<span>

Seto rubbed his temple and sighed, dropping his briefcase and coat as soon as he walked in the door. "Joey, not today."

Joey closed his mouth, frowning, and bent to pick up his coat and briefcase without chastising him about setting a good example for his brother. "Where would you like—"

"Library. You know what, just skip dinner. I don't want to eat anything. But bring whiskey and a glass for me. A large glass. No ice. I don't need ice tonight."

The dog demon's brows furrowed together in concern, but he dutifully hung the brunet's coat and set the briefcase on the small table in the entryway. "Yes, sir…"

When he arrived in the library, bottle of whiskey and a highball glass on a tray, he frowned again when he found the other man sitting on one of the couches, holding his head in his hands. He bit his bottom lip, then steeled himself and walked further into the library. Setting the tray on a table, he poured a small portion of caramel-colored liquid into the bottom of the glass.

Seto took the glass and tossed it back, then promptly handed it back to the blond. "Fill it."

Joey frowned and poured another few ounces into the glass. "I know it's not my place, sir, but you should probably slow down—"

"You're right, it's not your place," the brunet snapped, glaring at him. "And when I say fill it, I mean _fill it._"

The blond looked down at the glass nervously. "But I—"

"Fill it or give me the damn bottle!" Seto snarled.

Joey flinched but stepped forward and tilted the bottle to fill the glass almost to the brim. "Yes, sir." He swallowed thickly as he watched the brunet begin chugging the alcohol down, tail curling up between his legs nervously as the human slammed his glass down on the table immediately afterward.

The brunet shot him a sharp look. "Fill it."

"But—" the blond began nervously, but was immediately cowed when the human stood, towering over him and glaring at him with so much anger that if he was a weaker demon, he would have cried.

Seto growled, hissing, "Fill it, or give me the bottle."

Joey swallowed again and turned his gaze on his feet as the brunet returned to his seat, carefully pouring the glass full to the brim again. "Yes, sir." He watched the brunet drink the whiskey in much the same manner, ears twitching nervously as he watched more and more of the whiskey disappear down his throat. "…M-Mr. Kaiba…!"

The human turned a sharp glare at him. "_What_?"

"Sir, you're a human, and you're drinking this stuff awfully fast, and you're not eating anything or drinking any water, and humans get drunk so quickly, and if you keep drinking you could get so sick you'll die, and—"

"Joey, you're babbling, and that's not very attractive on you since you never like to talk to me more than you have to anyway." Seto scowled. "Why do you care, anyway? It's not like anyone but Mokuba does. Even if I die, you'll still have Mokuba to sign your precious paychecks."

Joey didn't recall actually letting go of the bottle, but he did hear the glass shatter and feel the whiskey and bits of glass against his bare feet and legs. He didn't remember telling his hand that it needed to collide with the brunet's face, either, but he saw his arm swing upward and his palm strike across the human's cheek. He watched the brunet's head snap to the side and worried that he might have broken his neck with the force of his hit, but then the human turned his head back to face him.

And he looked _livid._

Joey only had the time to squeak and press his ears back against his skull before Seto grabbed him slammed him against the nearest wall. "Eek!"

"Just who the hell do you think you are!" Seto roared, shaking him roughly. He slammed him against the wall again. "You don't care about me! You never have! How _dare_ you pretend that you do now!"

"Just because I don't like you doesn't mean I ever wanted you to kill yourself!" the blond growled. "Especially not when you're making me help you!" He saw the human's face twist with pain for a moment before returning to fury and yelped as he was thrown to the ground near the door, hard. "Ah!"

"If you don't want anything to do with me, then fine! Get out of here! I don't need you!" He turned to grab the glass still half-full of whiskey and spun back to throw it at him.

Joey just barely managed to scurry out of the way before the glass shattered on the floor where he'd been. "Gah-!" He turned to look at the mess, then looked up at the brunet, frowning. "…Seto, what's wrong?"

"What's wrong? _What's wrong?_" Seto hissed, gripping his hands into fists even as he began to sway. "And you're calling me Seto _now?_ Now, after years of 'Mr. Kaiba' and 'sir' and, when you were really mad, a sarcastic 'master'?" He nearly screamed. "_Years_ of begging you, _pleading_ with you to give me another chance after that first impression, _years_ of celibacy to prove I didn't just want a fling, and you're calling me Seto _now?_ After months of asking me to let you go early for dates, rubbing your disinterest in my face? YOU'RE WARMING UP TO ME NOW?"

The dog demon bit his bottom lip. "I didn't… Set—Sir, I—"

"Pick something and stop jerking me around, you little—Ngh."

Joey frowned in concern as the brunet's swaying became more pronounced, taking a step toward him. "Are you okay?"

His eyes widened as the human reached out to stabilize himself on the back of the couch, bent over, and emptied the contents of his stomach on the floor. He rushed forward as the brunet began to fall, hooking his arms around him and nearly slipping as he had to step into the puddle of vomit to do so.

He closed his eyes and sighed quietly, swallowing back his own wave of nausea, then helped him to stand up straight. He reached up to cup his cheek. "Let's get you to bed, si— …Seto."

Seto sighed, eyelids sagging a little. "'m I going to have a hangover tomorrow?"

Joey looked down at the puddle of alcohol and stomach acid and wrinkled his nose. "I don't even know if you ingested enough to have one." He lifted one of his feet and grimaced. "And now I have to mop."

"'m sorry. If you leave it, I'll—"

"You don't even know how to use a mop," Joey stated, giving him a sharp look. "Sleep this off. We'll talk in the morning."

"'m not drunk. There's nothing _to_ sleep off."

The blond gave him a sour look. "Uh huh."

"…I could totally mop."

"_GO TO BED._"

Seto took a deep breath, looking like he was about to argue further, then let it out in a long sigh. "Okay. But I can make it by myself."

Joey sighed and took a step back. "If you're sure, then—" He watched in horror as the brunet took a step and immediately slipped in his own vomit, hitting the ground on his back with an audible and sickening thud. "Oh God are you okay?"

Seto sat up, blinked, looked down at the puddle of whiskey-bile he was sitting in, then looked up at him, appearing offended. "Why didn't you tell me this was here?"

The demon's jaw dropped. He stared at the brunet for a few moments, then began laughing—quite loudly, and not making any effort to hide the fact that he was laughing at his employer. When the human smiled vaguely, obviously not understanding why it was funny, he sighed and helped him up. "Let me help you get to bed, Seto."

"Hmmmm, and then you could get into it with me and I could fuck you silly," the brunet purred as the demon hooked his arm around his waist.

Joey pursed his lips and sighed, then prepared himself to make a cutting comment about Seto probably having used that line a recent bed partner when he remembered… Seto had been truthful when he talked about his celibacy. He tilted his head and frowned as the brunet nipped at his ear, twitching it out from between his teeth at the last second, then turned toward him and pressed their foreheads together. "…Seto, how badly do you want me?"

Seto sighed, frowning. "_So_ badly, Joey. I've wanted you for years. I want to fuck you so hard you can't walk when I'm finished with you. I want to wake up to your beautiful face every morning, to go to bed with it every night. I want to keep you. I want to put a ring on _this finger—_" He tapped the blond's ring finger and smiled. "—So that everyone can see that you're mine. Mine alone. My little puppy."

The demon blushed brightly and glanced away from him. "…You want to marry me?"

"Are you proposing to me, Joey? Because if you are, I do," the brunet purred.

Joey tilted his head, frowning. It was a lot to take in. He had to think about it; he just hoped that Seto understood. "I'll help you wash up and get you into bed, Seto. You need to sleep this off."

Seto hummed. "Or you could help me work it off—"

"You're covered in vomit and it turns me off," the blond cut in blandly.

The human frowned. "Oh. Yes, I suppose that would be a turn off. Maybe some other time then." He paused, then grimaced. "I'm going to throw up again."

Joey squeaked and stepped away from him quickly. When Seto promptly bent over and vomited again, he wasn't sorry that he'd just let go of him so quickly. He sighed and reached out to pat him on the head. "Time for bed, Seto."

Seto grunted but allowed the demon to help him up to his room to get cleaned up and go to bed. He doubted he would have made it by himself anyway.

But at least the blond had stroked his hair until he'd fallen asleep. That was nice. He just hoped he remembered it in the morning, and if he did, that he remembered it had been reality and not a dream.


	95. Acceptance

Author's Note: I had a great idea, but the execution is questionable. **:**C I have no idea how to fix it, either.

* * *

><p><span>Acceptance<span>

Seto tilted his head and frowned when he turned to see what was keeping his puppy's attention. Looking at the large cabinet filled with expensive liquors, he remembered that the blond's father had been an abusive alcoholic. Joey had been disgusted by anything that had contained alcohol, had even grit his teeth and growled he wasn't thirsty when a waiter tried to force a glass of champagne on him at a banquet.

Every time Joey came into the den, he'd give that cabinet the same long, baleful stare, eyes glinting with anger. His hands would curl into tight fists, flexing and turning his knuckles white. He never said anything about it, though, and would eventually turn his attention back to his lover.

Seto hummed quietly and walked over to the cabinet, pulling out a small key to unlock it. He heard Joey breathe in sharply but ignored it, instead opening the doors wide and examining the bottles carefully. After a few minutes, he turned to the blond and raised an eyebrow. "You hate this cabinet. You hate the alcohol in it. Would you like me to get rid of it?"

Joey blushed brightly and crossed his arms, turning away from him quickly. "It's yours. I don't care what ya do with it—"

"But if you had the choice, would you like to get rid of it?"

The blond stared down at his shoes, looking angry and sad and embarrassed all at once. Finally, he looked back up at the older boy and frowned. "Yeah."

"I see." Seto looked back into the cabinet before he reached in and grabbed a tall, thin bottle. He examined it carefully, then turned back to the blond and held it up. "This is a bottle of scotch whiskey. It is worth seventy-five thousand dollars."

Joey gulped, wondering why such a poisonous drink was worth so much. "Oh."

"It's not the bottle or the name that makes it expensive, either," the brunet continued. "It's the actual whiskey that you're paying for, and it's meant to be drunk." He looked at the bottle, sighed, then suddenly wound the back as if pitching a baseball and threw the bottle at the wall, leaving a bright brown stain on the creamy white wallpaper.

Joey gasped and covered his mouth, eyes wide in horror. "Seto-!"

But Seto was already pulling out another bottle and holding it up. "This is cognac. People pay over ten grand for these, by invitation only." He turned to the blond and smiled, then threw it at the wall as well.

Joey rushed over to him and grabbed his arm as he reached for another bottle. "Seto, stop! If I'd known how much they were—"

"Then you'd still glare at them and wonder how they could cost so-fucking-much," the brunet replied, reaching in with his other arm instead. "Scotch. Fifty thousand dollars."

The blond whined as the older boy flung the bottle over his head to smash against the wall. "_Aaaaahhhhh!_ You're wasting so much money stoooop!"

Seto pulled out another bottle and laughed. "Think about what your father would say if he saw you throwing away good liquor, Joey. –Think about what Gozaburo would say when he saw me breaking the liquors he'd paid so much for!"

Joey blushed, mouth falling open thoughtfully, then bit his bottom lip in embarrassment. He shouldn't be thinking these things. He really shouldn't.

"…Tequila. Two hundred and fifty thousand."

The blond squealed as the glass shattered against the wall, turning toward him in horror. "Seto, we coulda sold these or somethin' instead-!"

"Why? This is much more cathartic for me," Seto replied, smirking. "How many times do you think Gozaburo's rolled over in his grave?" He reached for another bottle.

Seeing the bottle was shaped like a bear, Joey blinked, then yanked it out of his hands before he could throw it and examine it properly. "It's a bear!"

"It's limited edition from Belvedere; they created the mold to use as a shell. It's backlit, and you can hang it. It's worth seventy-five hundred."

"I want to keep it," Joey stated, unscrewing the cap and pouring it out on the floor.

Seto chuckled and ruffled his hair. "For more art?"

"I can use colored sand in it. –Shut up, I like art."

The brunet hummed and nuzzled his neck gently. "Of course you do. Hmm, I don't recall putting this wine in here." The older boy frowned, then shrugged and went to throw it.

Joey grabbed it, scowling, and yanked it from his hand. "NO! You're sexy when you're drinkin' wine!"

Seto stared.

"…What, ya think my dad drank wine? He called it 'rich bitch alcohol' and he wouldn't touch the stuff. Said it tasted like nail-polish remover. No, you're keepin' this and you're gonna drink it and look sexy for me."

The brunet snorted and kissed his cheek. "Just as well. Quarter of a million dollars."

Joey squeaked. "You keep breakin' all this money!"

"That's not the most expensive thing in here, Joey." He reached in to grab another tall, thin bottle. "This is a bottle of Diva Vodka. It's distilled through _crushed diamonds._ The bottle is custom-made. And the line of gemstones inside of it is real. I paid a million dollars for this bottle."

Joey frowned. "Why would ya—Ya don't even _like_ vodka, Seto!"

"I know. I just wanted one to say I had one, in case some business partners dropped by the house and I needed to impress them." Seto smiled. "But I've discouraged that, so it seems silly to have it."

"CAN WE SELL IT INSTEAD OF BREAKING IT _PLEASE?_" the blond squeaked nervously.

"Who would buy it?" Seto frowned. "No, let's just break the bottle and use the gems for something pretty."

Joey frowned. "…I suppose I could make something nice with 'em, yeah."

Seto leaned his head on the blond's shoulder and handed him the bottle. "Would you like to do the honor?"

The blond examined the bottle, frowning. His father really would have killed him if he knew what they'd just done, wasting all of this good liquor. If he didn't kill him, he would have at least beaten the shit out of him.

…Which made it much easier to accept that yeah, he did derive at least a little pleasure out of watching Seto smash the other bottles.

Seto purred as he watched the bottle shatter against the wall, widening the stain, then kissed his neck lovingly. "That was fun. Let's save the rest of the bottles for some other day, though."

"Okay. Sounds good to me." Joey turned to kiss his neck gently. "You could drink some of this wine for me instead."

The brunet raised an eyebrow. "_For_ you?"

"Yes. So I can take pictures and use 'em when you're gone on business."

Seto opened his mouth to ask what he'd use them for, but then the blond gave him a sexy grin, and he realized _exactly_ what they'd be used for. "Oh. Okay."


	96. Lesson

Author's Note: Follow-up to Making History. You know, theme number three? Way in the beginning?

* * *

><p><span>Lesson<span>

Joey ran his hand through his hair and whined in the back of his throat, brows furrowing together in frustration as he scribbled an answer across the thick parchment. He stared at his sloppy handwriting, grimaced, then bit his bottom lip as he checked and double-checked his answer carefully. Once he decided that he could do no more with it, he hesitantly slid the paper across the table.

A ruler immediately slapped over the back of his hand, making him yelp and draw it back to his chest quickly. "Ouch!"

"You do not _slide_ paper," the tutor hissed, glaring at him in distaste. "Imagine what His Highness would say!"

Joey flinched, ears wilting as he imagined Seto looking at him with the same contempt and disgust. "You're right, sir."

"Of course I'm right! I know everything about His Highness!" the man snapped, reading through what the blond had written quickly. His ears pressed back irritably as he turned his gaze back on the dog demon. "This is absolutely _abominable._ How anyone would be able to read this, I don't know!

The blond snorted and grumbled, "_You_ read it just fine." The ruler slapped over the backs of his hands again. "Ouch!"

"The king's _bitch_ should never speak unless someone is expecting an answer and he or she should _never_ speak with a snide or acerbic tone!"

Joey scowled. "I don't know why anyone thinks that these lessons will do me any good!"

"They _don't,_" the tutor sniffed. "But we needed to do _something_ to make people think we were actually trying to make you seem less like an uncouth street rat!"

"OOOO-KAY THEN!" the blond growled, standing swiftly. "I don't hafta take this shit from you!"

"Have to." The man pursed his lips. "If you don't learn to control that temper, you'll never be suitable enough to show off to visiting dignitaries. You're an _embarrassment,_ really. The only reason His Highness mated with you is probably because you're a good fuck and nothing more. After all, he's too busy and level-headed to invest any emotions in a tramp like _you._"

Joey swallowed thickly, then snarled, turning to storm away from him. "Like you know anything!"

The tutor sneered after him. "His Highness made a mistake in mating with you!" He couldn't help a low chuckle when he saw the blond's black tail curl up between his legs.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto frowned as he smelled salty tears as soon as he stepped into the room and moved toward the bed, reaching out to gently rest his hand on the lump of trembling blankets that was his mate. "Lessons didn't go well today, either?"

"I don't wanna talk about it!" Joey hissed. "Just leave me alone!"

The brunet rolled his eyes and sighed quietly as he crawled onto the bed, then curled up against the dog's back, slowly and carefully curling his hand beneath the blankets. "Are you sure I can't help you relax?"

"Hhn…" The blond squirmed a little as the older boy's hand slid into his blanket cocoon and began petting his side and hip. "Nothin' in the world could get me in the mood right now, so—"

Seto pulled the blanket from his body and began kissing his neck and shoulder. "Nothing at all?"

"Ah…" Joey sniffled and brought a hand up to wipe his eyes. "Oh, this is hopeless, Seto. Why did I ever think this would work?"

"Hmm?" Sensing that this was a much bigger deal than he'd originally thought, the brunet sat up a little, frowning. "What are you talking about, Joey?"

"_This._ Thinkin' that I could be your mate. I'm never gonna be good enough for ya, so why do I even try?"

Seto scowled and leaned over him to be able to see his face. "And just what makes you think you're not good enough for me?"

"It's obvious every time I try t' do somethin' without ya around!" Joey huffed, tears forming in his eyes. "I don't walk tall enough, chickens could write better than I could, I have a temper, my hair's too long and too thick, I can't keep my clothes clean, sometimes I chew with my mouth open, I _talk _with food in my mouth, and I don't know which soaps to use in your humongous bathroom!"

Seto stared, mouth falling open in both shock and confusion. "…What?"

"I can't keep my back straight and my tutors keep smacking my ass and thighs t' keep me from slouchin' when I walk," the blond explained, ears wilting sadly. "I didn't know how t' read when I came here, and I'm learnin', but my writin' looks like crap. It doesn't even deserve bein' called chicken scratch. And I get mad way too easily. My tutors are always tellin' me t' bite my tongue or keep my mouth shut 'cause no one wants t' hear me or what I have t' say."

"…Go on," the wolf demon ordered after a moment, crossing his arms.

Joey swallowed the lump forming in his throat. "The servants ya have help me get ready in the morning tell me that my hair is ugly especially for someone with black ears and tail, that it's too thick t' deal with. 'nd I'm bad at keepin' my clothes clean because I've never had to wear fancy clothes, so I forget I need t' watch out for 'em. I'm so used to eatin' what I can, when I can, that I don't even think about swallowin' before I talk." He looked up at the brunet and whimpered. "And when I get out of the bathroom the servants tell me I've used all the wrong soaps."

"…I'll speak with your tutors," Seto stated after a moment, scowling. "I may not like you slouching, but part of me is always happy, because it means you're not a threat to me or my brother. No one should be spanking you but me." He reached out to cup the blond's cheek and leaned in to gently nip his bottom lip. "Your writing will get better with practice, so just be patient."

Joey laid his head on the brunet's shoulder and sighed quietly. "…Seto…"

"I like your temper. It keeps things interesting, and the make-up sex is excellent. And the foreign diplomats are so used to docile mates that they're amused and surprised by you. They like you." The brunet nuzzled the younger boy's cheek. "Your hair isn't weird. And even if it is, it's no weirder than Mokuba's, black hair with white ears and tail." He smiled slightly when the blond giggled. "I don't care about whether your clothes get dirty. The servants' job is to clean them, so they shouldn't say anything about them. And it's amusing to me to see the expressions of shock from other people when you talk with your mouth full."

He pressed his forehead against the blond's and purred. "And I don't care what soap you use in the bathroom, because as long as you smell like me, I'm happy."

Joey's eyes fluttered shut as he was pulled into a soft kiss. "Seto…"

Seto nipped his bottom lip again, then leaned over to kiss his neck. "I'll… see about… your tutors… okay?"

"Mn…" Joey tilted his head back and moaned quietly as the brunet closed his teeth on his throat. "Ooh… Seto…"

"I'll fix everything," Seto assured, kissing down his chest. He reached up to cup the blond's cheek again and kissed him lightly. "We'll get this straightened out. You shouldn't feel this badly after lessons."

"… He called me your bitch, not your mate," the blond muttered after a moment, pulling away from him and looking down at his lap in embarrassment. "'nd he said I'm an embarrassment. He said I wasn't worth your _emotional investment_, whatever that is."

The wolf stiffened, eyes shining angry blue-black. "Did he?"

"Yeah." He bit his bottom lip and ducked his head. "And I couldn't help but start thinkin' maybe he was right."

"_No,_ he was not," Seto snapped, growling. "You are my _mate,_ not my _bitch,_ and nothing you could do could embarrass me. And I have _certainly _invested emotionally in you." When the blond blushed and giggled nervously, he licked his throat gently. "You're mine. If he says anything like that to you again, _hit him._"

Joey giggled again. "He'd flip his shit if I did."

"Good. Flip it all over the place. I will _never_ be embarrassed because of something you did," the brunet purred.

The blond tilted his head. "Nothing at all?"

"Nothing at all," the wolf confirmed. "Never."

Joey smiled and nuzzled against his chest. "I like that. You're sexy when you're confident."

Seto's tail began to wag, and he blushed lightly when the younger boy peered up at him with more affection than even his brother had given him. That did embarrass him a little, but only because he was so unused to people liking him for himself instead of as a king.

He wouldn't tell Joey that, though, because he really hated the thought that _this_ embarrassed him rather than anything else.


	97. Enthusiasm

Author's Note: I just finished power-reading _The Help_. It was so awesome, I cried. Multiple times. And this is the result of power-reading.

* * *

><p><span>Enthusiasm<span>

Seto tapped his pencil against the notebook in front of him, frowning, and wondered if the blank lines were mocking him or if he was finally going insane. "This is hopeless."

Atem scratched his head and sighed. "We can't go back to them with nothing, though. They'll think they were right, that we were wrong. We can't just give up."

"I know, it's just…" The brunet sighed. "Perhaps we should take a break. Neither of us is coming up with any decent ideas, and it's almost time for lunch." Seto opened his locket and smiled at the picture of his brother before he snapped it closed again. "I promised Mokuba we'd come eat with him today."

Atem blinked in surprise. "In the kitchen? With the help?"

"He hates eating in the dining room. Says it's so big it creeps him out," the brunet replied, standing from behind his desk. "Joey's not so bad. He makes excellent food, keeps the house clean."

"If you say so…" The younger man frowned.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"_NYEEK!_" Joey blushed as he felt a hand yank on his tail and turned, giving the younger boy a dangerous glare. "_You let go of my tail this __**instant**__, Mokuba Kaiba._"

The younger boy frowned and released it. "But why? You used to let me hold it all the time!"

"Only children or significant others are allowed to hold onto our tails," the blond explained, sighing, and rolled his eyes. "You're ten now. Once ya reach double digits, you're not t' touch a fiend's tail unless they invite ya to. It's like… holdin' hands."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"If you were really sorry, you'd stop doin' it," the blond began, but then the door opened and the raven-haired boy's older brother and cousin walked into the kitchen with them. He blushed and immediately turned back to the sandwiches he had grilling.

Seto raised an eyebrow. "Sorry about doing what?" When the blond only continued staring at the sandwiches, he scowled and turned to look at his brother. "What did he tell you to stop doing?"

"I'm supposed to stop grabbing his tail," Mokuba muttered in embarrassment.

The brunet sighed, looking quite annoyed at the news. "You shouldn't be touching his tail anyway. You're ten. You know better. …Besides, you won't even let me hug you goodbye at school anymore. You don't get to grab his tail unless you're giving me hugs."

Joey covered his mouth to hide his smile and turned to begin chopping up some peppers and radishes to put in the salad.

The younger boy whined. "Seto, I'm too _old_ to have to hug you goodbye before school!"

"Then you're too old to hold onto Joey's tail," the brunet replied shortly, sitting at the table. He saw a newspaper and pulled it toward him on instinct. He frowned when he saw it open to an article where a fiend had been beaten almost to death for accidentally using the wrong bathroom. He wondered if Joey knew the person or if he'd only been looking at it because it was another fiend.

He read through the article, vaguely acknowledging that Atem had begun conversing with his brother about school and how hugging wasn't necessarily embarrassing because girls would think he was sweet and caring. He grunted his agreement when his brother asked for his opinion and waved Atem away when he asked what he was doing. After a few minutes of studying the article, he was reminded of when Mokuba was younger—too young to understand the difference between humans and fiends—and had asked Joey what it was like to be a fiend.

Joey had laughed, told him it was like being a human with an extra arm because of his tail. Mokuba had reiterated that he hadn't meant physically, because he'd seen the way humans treated fiends, and he'd noticed that only fiends wearing uniforms showing they were working were allowed in the same grocery store as humans. Joey had faltered, then, smile fading, before finally replying that it was… different.

And that was all he'd mention on the subject.

Seto turned to look at Joey, watched him put a thick, toasted roast beef sandwich on each of three plates with some chips and a bowl of salad. He brought them to the table and placed them in front of each of them, smiled, then turned to shuffle over to the refrigerator where he'd put his own lunch this morning.

And suddenly it struck him, and the words were out of his mouth before he could stop them.

"Joey, what's it like being a fiend and working for a human family?"

Joey froze, eyes wide and mouth falling open in shock. He turned to look at the brunet and frowned, brows furrowing together. "Sir, I don't think that's an appropriate question t' be askin'—"

"Is it difficult, knowing that one day the child you took care of will one day be your boss?" he continued, as if he hadn't heard him.

The blond grabbed his tail and began playing with the tuft of fur at the end of it in agitation. "It—It's not really somethin' that I—"

Seto tilted his head. "Do you hate humans, Joey?"

Joey opened his mouth, looking terrified and angry and embarrassed all at once. "I… I…" He swallowed, whined, then whispered, "I don't hate humans, sir. But I'm scared of them, because they hate me."

Mokuba immediately frowned. "I don't hate you, Joey!"

Joey smiled, suddenly looking tired. "No one hates their own help, Mokuba. They just hate the idea of them."

Seto leaned his head on his hand, elbow on the table. "So your opinion of humans is—_Gah!_" He jerked back, holding his arm in surprise and confusion as he felt the stinging throb from being smacked.

"Elbows on the table aren't becomin' for humans, sir," Joey stated, not looking sorry at all for hurting him. He smiled, grabbed his lunch, and walked out to eat his lunch on the steps that led to the kitchen door.

Seto continued to gape.

Mokuba smiled. "Yeah, it hurt the first few times he smacked me with his tail, too. But look! My elbows aren't on the table!" he added, motioning toward the table.

"…Do fiends get to put their elbows on the table?" Atem asked after a moment.

"Of course not. But Joey has told me he didn't understand why people needed to put their elbows on the table anyway. We have spines to hold us up, not tables." Mokuba giggled. "He said if the Creator had intended us to use tables to hold ourselves up, he'd have made us with tables attached."

Seto scowled at the red welt forming on his arm. "This is going to bruise."

"You bruise like a peach, anyway."

Atem turned to raise an eyebrow at him. "What was that all about, anyway?"

"…There are a lot of peace marches and sit-ins going on," Seto replied after a few minutes. "The topics of integration and equality are big news right now." He looked at Atem and shrugged. "I thought, what if we could write a book from the point of view of fiends that actually work close with humans. We hear about the humans that hate the fiends, and the fiends that hate the humans, but what about the fiends and humans that are in close quarters? I only ever hear what humans think about them, never what fiends think about their employers." He looked down at his sandwich. "…It was just a thought."

"…What a thought," Atem murmured, appearing to lose himself in his own thoughts.

Mokuba marveled as his brother ignored one of his favorite sandwiches and Atem dipped his chips in his soda before he ate them because they were so deep in thought and decided if that was what grown-ups were like, he wanted to stay ten years old forever.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Joey."

Joey screeched and jumped, nearly dropping his jug of oil. His dirty rag fell to the floor as he turned to the brunet, brows furrowing together. "You Kaibas and your silent feet, gonna give me a heart attack one of these days. Hope you're happy when ya scare ten years off my life!"

Seto blinked. "…This is my office. You should have expected me to come in."

"Well ya got so many bookshelves I get distracted!" the blond huffed, snatching up the rag with his tail and placing it back in his hand. He sighed, then ducked his head a little. "Is there somethin' I can help ya with, sir?"

"…You know that Atem and I are trying to write a book to get out of our trusts, don't you?" Seto asked after a moment, crossing his arms. "So that we can take control of our fortunes. It's stupid, really, but that's what we get for inheriting a publishing company."

"I know," the blond replied carefully. "And I heard what you were sayin' about a book the other day. But I don't understand how writin' somethin' that people would hate ya for would make it any easier for you t' get outta trust."

"Pegasus said that something hard-hitting was the only way he'd publish our book," the brunet explained carefully. "Any old book would never be good for him. I believe that he would publish this book for us if we wrote it and help us if the lawyers tried to fight it. Besides, I'm honestly intrigued. You've taken care of Mokuba and me for several years, and I'd like to know what you think of me—of us."

Joey tilted his head, blinked suspiciously. He pursed his lips and sighed, then turned to resume oiling the bookcase. After a few minutes, he abruptly dropped his arms to his side and turned to look at him. "Just my story from workin' for _you?_ I hafta say, it's not that interesting. You're good t' me and treat me like a person. Ya couldn't make a story out of that."

Seto looked down at his feet for a moment, then looked back up to meet his gaze. "It's only just now occurred to me that I don't know how old you are, Joey. I don't know how many families you've worked for or how they've treated you."

The blond looked down at his feet, face void of all emotion. "…I'm seventeen and I've been workin' since I was ten. I've had three other human families. You're the longest job I've had." He looked back up at him, frowning. "Those other families might be worth a story, but not a long one. Certainly not a book."

The brunet stared at him for a few minutes, thinking over what he'd said, then asked, "Do you know anyone else that would agree to interviews with us?"

At that, the fiend was immediately offended. "I never said I _would _do an interview. I just said it wouldn't be a very long or interestin' one."

Seto tilted his head. "So you're saying no?"

"Of course I'm sayin' no! Don't ya know what people would do t' me? T' anyone else that spoke out?" Joey hissed angrily. "They beat that boy in the paper _blind_. And they're lettin' his attackers go with a slap on the wrist!"

The brunet pulled his sleeve up to show the dark bruise still on his flesh; it still throbbed when he moved his arm too fast. "Considering how Mokuba told me that was a _gentle_ slap, the fiends are more dangerous than we give them credit for. If a fiend slapped his wrist, it would break, wouldn't it?"

Joey blushed when he saw the bruise and hugged his tail to his chest awkwardly. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I thought… You're so much older and bigger, I thought just a little more—You didn't bleed, did ya?"

"As long as we're in trust, our lawyers have the ability to fire you, whether Mokuba and I fight or not," Seto stated, pulling his sleeve down. "If you agree with me, I'll draw up a contract that we can both sign that I won't ever fire you after we get out of trust, but you're free to quit whenever you like."

The blond frowned and looked down at his feet again. "…Job security? For a fiend? Ya really like havin' me around that much?"

"I'm used to you. And Mokuba would throw a fit if anyone fired you, including me." The human smirked in amusement. "Besides, there's something about the way you dust with your tail tuft that's endearing."

Instead of getting offended or laughing at his joke, the blond merely tilted his head. After a few minutes, he looked up at him and raised his eyebrows skeptically. "…I'll think about it."

"Your enthusiasm is completely overwhelming," the brunet replied, rolling his eyes slightly. He yelped as the fiend grabbed the collar of his shirt and yanked him down to be eye-level with him. "Gah-!"

"If anyone finds out about me spillin' my guts t' ya about my past jobs, they'll _lynch _me," he hissed, scowling. "They won't hurt you. You're human. Ya just made a mistake—hell, you're an orphan, so clearly ya weren't raised t' treat fiends as what they are. But people will think I took advantage of ya because ya _didn't know better._ They'll cut out my tongue. They will beat me until all my bones are mulch. They will _cut off my tail._ If that was what would happen t' you, would ya just agree, or would ya need t' think about it?"

Seto swallowed thickly. "I'd probably need to think about it."

"You're damn right," Joey hissed, looking livid, before his face smoothed into a calm mask and he released him, placing the rag he'd been using to spread oil on his tail and reaching up to smooth his shirt. "Damn, I got oil on ya. Hope that comes out in the wash." He looked up at the brunet and scowled. "I'll think about it. But you gotta think about it too. Think about what would happen t' you and Mokuba and Atem if someone tried t' hurt ya, tried t' split ya up because you're talkin' t' fiends like they're equal instead of less."

The brunet blinked as the blond began unbuttoning his shirt, then immediately shrank back, startled. "I can do that myself!"

"Well hurry up and put it in the sink t' dry, then," the fiend replied, looking annoyed. "I don't wanna hafta pay for ruinin' your shirt!"

"…I have seven more just like this."

"Seven's unlucky. It's an odd number," Joey replied. "I'd still need t' buy ya another one."

"Or we could get rid of another one."

The blond looked up at him, appearing baffled by the idea. "Get… rid of one?"

Seto nodded quickly. "I don't even really like this shirt."

"…Then why do ya have eight of 'em?"

"…Birthday presents. From the same person. Every year."

Joey blinked. "…Have ya ever thought of tellin' 'em that ya don't like the shirts?"

Seto raised an eyebrow. "Have you ever told a woman that you didn't like her gifts?"

The blond immediately blanched. "Oh-! Never mind then!"

Seto watched him scamper back over to the bookcase in embarrassment, frowning as he mulled over what he'd been told. He hadn't realized things were so dicey for fiends. But now that he'd heard what would happen to the fiends if they tried to speak up, it just made him more determined to bring it into the spotlight.

He'd been raised by a fiend, had seen his cousin and brother raised by fiends. He couldn't remember when he'd started seeing fiends as different from humans, but he hated that it had happened. He hated that he knew he was human, and that the fiends were different because they _weren't._

He hated remembering that he'd thought as a child that he was just a fiend with round ears instead of pointy ones that had had his tail chopped off in the same tragic accident that had killed his parents. He hated the moment the lawyers had fired the fiend that had raised him and Mokuba and had hired Joey instead, because he wasn't old enough to take a parental role but old enough to do all the things necessary of a maid.

He hated that fiends weren't allowed to be close to humans. He wanted to show that it was unfair, that it wasn't okay that humans and fiends were kept apart. He especially wanted to show that fiends had feelings and shouldn't be treated the way they were.

He'd seen Joey playing videogames with Mokuba, had heard Joey sneak a phone call to his ill sister. He'd watched Joey struggle through a normal day after hearing his friend had been slapped around by his employer and he'd wanted to go to him in the hospital but couldn't afford missing work. He'd heard Joey whisper prayers under his breath as he read through the paper and saw other fiends hurt or taken advantage of.

And he was tired of Joey swinging between haughty and meek because he was naturally feisty but kept trying to stamp it down because he didn't want to be fired for being a smart-mouthed servant. He wanted to see Joey acting like himself, whoever that was, and he felt that perhaps interviewing him for a book like this would help with that.

He just hoped that Joey said yes.


	98. Game

Game

Seth licked his lips and rested his chin on his hand, sparing the board in front of him only a glance before he turned his gaze on the blond sitting across from him. "Jeno, how are you doing?"

Jeno blushed and flinched his bare legs together in embarrassment. "I… I'm okay."

"If you lose one more round, I'll have you naked," Seth commented idly. "Are you sure you don't want to back out now?"

He was teasing, and the blond knew it. He realized that if he actually felt uncomfortable, Seth would stop playing in a heartbeat, but they were both too stubborn to give in. And he had to admit that the priest was sexy when he felt he was in power, even more so when he leered at him in a way that told him if it was socially acceptable, he'd bend him over every possible surface and defile him.

Seth grabbed the knuckle bones and smirked. "You've never been any good at senet, Jeno. I don't know why you insist on playing this game every week." He tossed the knuckle bones onto the board. "Unless you _like_ being forced to remove your clothes for me."

Jeno blushed even more, because he _did_ rather enjoy having to strip for the priest—because the brunet was _always_ happy to see his naked body. "I—I just know I'll win one of these times!"

"…Of course you will," the brunet snorted, examining the knuckle bones, before he clicked his tongue and moved one of his pieces three spaces. "Looks like I win this round, too, Jeno."

"Wha—But—I—" The slave frowned, brows furrowing together. "…Are you sure? That seems much too quick!"

The priest ginned and raised his hand, moving his fingers to direct him to stand. "Quite sure."

Jeno sighed and got to his feet. "If you say so, Master."

Seth tilted his head thoughtfully, then hummed. "Come here." Once the blond stepped toward him, he grabbed his waist and yanked him to stand between his spread legs. "Let me take care of this for you, Jeno," he purred, hooking his fingers in the silk straps.

The blond blushed a little and bit his bottom lip, lifting his hands to touch the priest's temples and brush against the fabric over his silky hair. "May I take this off, Master?" He gasped as the brunet leaned forward and ran his tongue from his pelvis up to his navel and knocked the headdress from his head, digging his fingers into his hair. "_Oh!_"

"Mmmn…" Seth dragged the silk straps down the blond's thighs and reached between his legs to gently slip his fingertips inside him. "Still oiled from this morning, hmm?"

"Nnn…!" Jeno threw his head back and gasped. "Oh yes…!" He moaned as he was pulled onto the brunet's lap. "Master…!"

"Call me Seth tonight," the priest purred. "I'm not your master tonight. I'm your lover."

The slave blushed. "…Okay, Seth." He leaned down to kiss him lightly and moaned. "Seth…"

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey yelped as the brunet sat up from the couch abruptly, blinking, and turned to glare at him. "You freak, why ya gotta go from sound asleep t' wide awake without any in-between? Ya creep me the fuck out!"

Seto stared at him a moment, then tilted his head. "Would you play strip-chess with me?"

The blond blinked. "Er… what?"

"Like strip-poker, except with chess," the older boy explained.

"Uh…" Joey blinked a little longer. "…I… guess…?"

"Tonight? After dinner?"

Joey raised an eyebrow. "Suuure?"

"Alright. I'm going back to nap-land," Seto stated, then fell limp on the couch again, chest rising and falling steadily in sleep.

Joey's eye twitched. It really did creep him out when his lover did that.

And it creeped him out even more that he was starting to get used to it.


	99. Friendship

Author's Note: This has been on my mind for_ever_. And now I've gotten to use it! **X3**

* * *

><p><span>Friendship<span>

Seto stared, unsure of how to start. It wasn't every day that he walked in to get a manicure and found the self-proclaimed rival that always annoyed him reading a magazine as he got a pedicure. And the blond's face was covered in a pink-brown mask. He just looked so… at ease there. It was hard to make fun of him when he looked like he didn't care.

"…Mutt?"

Joey looked up at him, raised an eyebrow, then looked back at his magazine as if he didn't care. "Kaiba."

It was then that his attention was drawn to the two girls sitting beside him—the Friendship Freak and The Mutt's Sister.

Téa exclaimed, "Oh, hi, Kaiba!"

Serenity smiled. "What a surprise!"

Seto stared, glancing between all three of them. Serenity and Téa were also having pedicures, and Téa had a sea foam green mask while Serenity's was lime green. The only difference was that they were also getting manicures, while on closer inspection Joey's had already been finished, if the gleam of his nails as he turned the page of his car magazine was anything to go by.

Serenity smiled. "I won a mani-pedi-mask treatment for me and two friends. Téa and Mai were going to go with me, but Mai had to back out at the last minute, so Joey agreed to come along."

"…I see."

"Sir, do you want to use clear polish to match your fingernails?" the girl at his feet asked pleasantly.

Joey looked up from his magazine, stared at her for a moment, then turned his gaze on Seto. The brunet caught a brief glimpse of challenge before the blond looked back at her and stated, "I'd like my toes painted the most annoying shade of pink ya have, please."

"Oh, um—Are you sure?"

"You bet. I wanna walk outside and blind people."

"…Oh, snap." She began looking through all of the shades of pink she had, looking more excited than she had all day.

Seto opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

Joey looked up at him in surprise. "Oh, are you still here?"

"Mr. Kaiba, if you'd like to come over here, we're ready for you," another woman cut in, walking over to gently lead him away.

"…You really want pink toenails, Joey?" Serenity whispered, trying to be discreet.

Joey turned to look at her and raised an eyebrow. "Why should I care what color they are? If people wanna judge me, let 'em. They're the ones missin' out, not me."

Téa beamed. "Joey, it's like you grew up overnight!"

The blond stared at her for a few minutes, coughed awkwardly, then looked back at his magazine. "Right."

When they walked out, Seto noticed the blond was wearing shorts and sandals, as if to just show off his nails more. He remembered the challenge that had been wordlessly issued and clenched his jaw. He was certain that Joey wouldn't say anything if he didn't see any gaudy nail polish, but he knew for a fact that he'd receive that _look._ That look that said _I'm better than you._

And he could not allow that. _Would not_ allow that.

Seto hissed. "What's the ugliest shade of purple you have?"

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey stared at the picture on the screen of the TV, eyes wide as he took in the sparkly purple polish on the brunet's nails. He was vaguely aware of a caption questioning the new 'in' thing for famous people, but mostly, he couldn't believe that the brunet had actually accepted his challenge.

He wondered what other stupid challenges the idiot would allow himself to entertain, because the public's reaction to this was _hilarious._


	100. Endings

Endings

This is where I wind up all my loose endings. If there's one I didn't finish that you think I should have, HA. Too bad. **:**D Love you guys, but these were the only ones I felt needed more concrete endings.

* * *

><p><span>Ending to theme 13: Running Away<span>

Joey groaned and threw his arm over his eyes. "Please go away, Janie. Please, please, _please_ go away."

The blonde woman raised an eyebrow and waved the phone. "Phone for ya."

"I'll call them back."

"Long distance."

The younger man paused. "…New York?" he asked hopefully. He'd been expecting a call from his sister, and Téa had said she'd be calling with the dates for one of her performances, too.

Janie pursed her lips and scowled. "_Japan._"

"Oh. I'll call them later. —_JAPAN._" Joey sat up and struggled out of his blankets for the phone. "Gimme!"

"I've been tryin' t' give it," she drawled, dropping the phone in his hand carelessly. "Breakfast in an hour."

The blond rolled his eyes and tsked before rubbing his face and holding the phone up to his ear. "Y'llo?

"…_**Did you just answer the phone with the word 'yellow?' Is that something Americans do now?"**_

Joey laughed at the honest confusion he heard in the brunet's voice. "Sorry. It's four in the mornin'. 'm not really ready for a conversation."

"_**Oh. I'm sorry. It's noon here. Should I call you later?"**_

"Nah, I'm up, I'm up," the blond muttered, walking over to look at himself in the mirror. He grimaced a little. "Jeez, I look terrible. No wonder Janie don't want me t' go see the horses before I shower. I look like death warmed over." He smiled a little as the brunet chuckled, then blinked slowly. "So why 're ya callin'? 's it the end of the month already?"

"_**No, I just thought I'd call to tell you that Mokuba's graduating in three weeks."**_

Joey smiled. "'m gonna be there."

"_**Are you sure?"**_

"'course I'm sure. I promised, didn't I?" the blond asked, even as he pulled the envelope he'd hidden in his drawer out. He smiled as he checked the graduation announcement, ticket to the event, and the ticket for a flight to Domino that Mokuba had sent him.

He wasn't sure how Mokuba had found out about his promise. He was certain that Seto wouldn't have said anything about it, because he wouldn't want his brother to know he was depending on something, especially something like _the mutt_ coming back to Japan. He hadn't said anything, either; he wasn't in the habit of sharing his personal secrets with people, and if promising to kiss Seto Kaiba on the lips wasn't personal, he didn't know what was. Mokuba was clearly more devious than he'd dared to believe.

But that was okay. While he could have afforded buying the ticket back to Domino, he liked having the extra money for a down payment on an apartment until he found a job. He'd gotten a degree in mechanics while he'd been in America and he was ready to go back, fulfill his promise, and prove that his years away had been beneficial. It made him feel proud, and for some reason, he thought it quite possible that Seto might be proud of him, too.

"_**Joey? Are you still there?"**_ Seto asked after an awkward pause.

"Oh, yeah! Sorry, I was distracted."

"_**Oh? By what?"**_

Joey smiled and leaned against the dresser. "Oh, just this picture of a really hot brunet."

"_**I'll have her shot."**_

The blond snorted. "I meant male."

"_**Him, then."**_

Joey twisted a lock of hair around his finger. "I'd be really upset if ya did that."

"…_**I suppose I could just break his knees or something."**_

"I don't think you'd be as sexy if ya crippled yourself, Kaiba."

He could almost hear the gears shifting in the brunet's head as he digested what had been said. _**"…You're looking at a picture of me?"**_

He chuckled. "Ya sound so hopeful, Kaiba."

"_**I'm just glad you're still showing interest in me even after being gone around those Americans for several years."**_

"Three years isn't _several_," the blond chuckled. "It's just a few."

"_**I've missed you."**_

Joey blushed a little and looked down at his feet, as if the brunet was actually there and looking at him. "…I miss ya, too," he replied after a moment. "'m gonna be back soon, Kaiba."

"_**I know. It's just… quiet here without your barking."**_

The younger man shrugged, refusing to rise to the bait. "I'm sure it is."

"_**I miss you snarling at me. At least I remember what you look like angry. Who knows how much those Americans have changed you."**_

"I'm not changed," Joey sighed, rolling his eyes. "I'm just older."

He heard crackling as the brunet sighed into the phone. _**"You can't tell, but I can. You're different. It's a good different, but… just… different."**_

The blond frowned worriedly. "So ya don't want me t' come back and give ya that kiss-?"

"_**You're coming and giving me that kiss. Period. I expect you here before Mokuba leaves for college."**_

Joey glanced down at the envelope and tucked the tickets and announcement back into it, frown fading slowly back into a smile. "Yeah? When's that gonna be?"

"_**September."**_

"I'm sure I'll be there by then. Listen, Kaiba, I just woke up, so I'm gonna take a shower and get some coffee."

"_**I thought you didn't like coffee."**_

"I don't," the blond replied shortly. "But it's four in the fuckin' mornin'."

He could almost hear Seto flinch. _**"…I'm sorry."**_

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Joey, I'm so glad you came!" Mokuba exclaimed, throwing his arms around the blond's shoulders.

Joey chuckled. "Ya sent me a ticket."

"I know, I was just… I expected to see you sitting next to Seto. You know, I gave the bodyguards notice that you were to be allowed to sit with him," the younger boy explained awkwardly. "Did they turn you away or something? Because I can get Seto to reprimand them or something—"

"This was _your_ graduation, kid." The blond smiled and ruffled his hair. "I'm excited t' see your brother, but he came here for you, not me. I'm pretty sure that if I distracted him from ya, even though he'd be really happy, the little part of him that can't rationalize the fact that you're not his precious baby brother anymore will resent me."

"…Yeah, I guess I get that," Mokuba muttered thoughtfully. "So when are you going to see him then?"

"…I could take that house key off ya, since you're gonna be out partyin' with your friends," the older boy suggested innocently.

The smile on his face indicated he was anything but innocent, Mokuba decided, but he handed over his key and the codes that were necessary to get into the mansion.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto sighed and tugged at his tie as soon as he shut the door behind him, somewhat glad that Mokuba was going to parties instead of coming home. He hadn't gone to his own graduation, so he hadn't really thought about how stressful it would be.

And then a bunch of teenage girls had seen him when he'd gone to hug his brother goodbye, screamed, and mobbed him. When their families realized who they were screaming at, they tried to get to him too, to boast about _their_ specific daughter. He'd dealt with it just long enough for Mokuba to escape before he ordered his bodyguards to get him out of there.

He was glad he hadn't bothered going to his graduation.

"Aw, don't take the tie off. It looks sexy on ya."

Seto flinched and turned sharply, reaching for the nearest panic button, but paused when he saw the blond leaning in the doorway to the living room. He couldn't help but pause to look him over, appreciating the way his bangs fell around his face instead of into it, and how he had the rest of his hair pulled back into a small ponytail. He was a couple of inches taller, more muscular.

But instead of complimenting him, like he knew he should, his brain shorted out in his hour of need and rebooted back to before the blond had left. "You can make even a dress shirt and tie look trashy, mutt."

Joey stared at him, raising an eyebrow as he crossed his arms, and opened his mouth. He closed it a second later, smiled in confusion, and tilted his head. "Really? That's how it's gonna go?"

Seto at least had the decency to look remorseful. "You surprised me and I panicked."

"So it's my fault?"

"…Yes."

Joey chuckled and walked over to him, reaching up to finish undoing his tie. He smoothed the brunet's shirt much like he had before he'd given him his promise, then looked up at him and smiled. "I think I promised ya somethin', Kaiba."

Seto swallowed thickly and slid his arms around the younger man's waist. "You did."

The blond went up on his toes to kiss his cheek. "There ya go."

The older man scowled. "No. That is not what you promised."

"Hmm?" Joey giggled as the brunet glared at him and leaned up to brush their lips together. "So picky."

"I'm not picky. If I was, I'd point out that you promised to be back _before_ Mokuba graduated."

The blond hummed. "I _was_ back before Mokuba graduated. I just didn't _see_ you until after."

Seto opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

Joey grinned mischievously. "_And_ ya said that it was okay if I got here after his graduation, as long as it was before he left for college. And ya know what? It's before!"

"…See? You're changed," the brunet stated, scowling. "It's not bad, but I can't rile you up anymore." He narrowed his eyes. "And I don't like that smile on your face. It makes me think you're planning something."

The younger man shrugged. "Maybe I am plannin' somethin'. Hey, Kaiba, I noticed one of your cars has this weird squealin' sound when ya gun it. Mind if I fix that for ya?"

"When were you behind the wheel of one of my cars?" Seto asked in affront.

"You were takin' too long t' get here," Joey replied, smiling. "'sides, I can fix that. Ya wanna know what I was plannin'?"

The brunet sighed and rolled his eyes before looking back down at him. "…Yes, why not."

"I was plannin' on pullin' ya into the livin' room with me t' drink some booze and talk about where we go from here. We didn't talk about anything farther than the kiss." He smiled and kissed the older man again gently to hopefully sell his point.

Seto sighed again. "…Alright. You do have a point. …Please don't touch my cars without me there anymore, please." He paused. "Which car was squealing?"

Joey chuckled and began pulling him toward the living room. "Come on, Kaiba. Let's go sit and talk." He squeaked as the brunet suddenly mashed their mouths together, mewling in surprise as the other man's tongue immediately swiped his own. "Mm!"

Seto bit his bottom lip gently and pulled, then released it to begin kissing his jaw. "I've been waiting to kiss you like that for _years._"

The blond blushed and touched his lips with his fingers in almost confusion before he smiled and looked up at him. "_Wow._ If you'd kissed me like that before I left, I probably wouldn't have gone."

"It's a good thing I didn't then, isn't it?" the older man replied. "After all, even though I've hated it, I think it was good for you." He nuzzled the blond's neck and sighed. "Alright. Let's go talk."

Joey smiled. "Yeah, okay."

* * *

><p><span>Ending to Theme 17: Vengeance<span>

Joey trilled quietly as he felt someone petting his tail feathers and yawned. "Hmm…" He gasped as he was suddenly yanked up into a sitting position and immediately reached up to grab his attacker, but then the brunet began sucking on his tongue and pawing between his legs, and the familiarity of his touch and his scent and his kiss made him relax. "Mm…"

Seto broke the kiss and instead nipped at his throat. "Good morning, my pretty peacock."

"Uhn… g'mornin'." The blond squirmed a little. "Too early for sex, S'to."

The phoenix sighed and cupped his cheeks to give him one last kiss on the lips before he leaned back, smiling. "I know. It's just that that's the only way I can wake you up without you being a grump or trying to kill me."

"Mm." Joey yawned, then smiled. "Sorry. –You got your fancy shit on," he commented, tilting his head as he reached out to run his hands over the smooth silk. He giggled quietly. "I like silk."

"I'll have some silk ribbons delivered this week and we can have some fun before bed then," Seto replied. He stood, smoothing a wrinkle out of his pants, then looked back at him. "I'm going to go do some business with the people that inherited the Lector estate. Will you be here when I get back?"

The blond tilted his head. "I might be conductin' some business with a mafia boss."

Seto tilted his head and held his fist up, extending his thumb and index finger in the universal symbol of 'gun.' When the younger boy only smiled at him, refusing to confirm or deny, he sighed. "You don't have to do this anymore, Joey."

Joey shrugged and looked away from him. "Seto, this is what I do. It's what I've been doin' for years."

The brunet frowned as he stood from the bed, tail spread out as he carefully brushed it out with his fingers. "Don't you ever want to retire?"

"Of course. I'll want children someday, and I can't have them while I'm… in this current occupation," the peacock replied after a moment, accent disappearing from his speech. "But I do enjoy putting people in their places after all they've done to hurt other people. You can't be upset with me for that. My sister and I helped you."

"Yes, and I'm the greediest phoenix on this side of the planet so I don't _want_ you helping anyone else. They may fall in love with you just like I did and I don't want to share," the older boy replied, scowling. "You may have plenty of love to go around, but I want to keep it all to myself."

Joey sighed and rolled his eyes. "Seto, you know that's not what I set out to do. People just… like me."

"They should stop it. You're mine," the brunet hissed. He huffed when the peacock only rolled his eyes and reached out to grab his chin, forcing him to meet his gaze. "Joey, you know how I feel about this. I don't like knowing you may not come back to me because something goes wrong while you're off… working." He sighed when the blond jerked his gaze away and let his hand fall to his side. "If you want a child, fine. Stop what you're doing, and we'll have a child. I can take care of us. But don't make me wonder whether or not you're going to come back anymore."

Joey clenched his jaw and closed his eyes, scowling. "So you're sayin' that if I'm not ready t' stop what I'm doin', don't come back at all?"

Seto opened his mouth, a frustrated denial already on the tip of his tongue because he didn't want to drive the blond away. But he sighed, because he knew he just couldn't do it anymore, even though he really wanted to. "Yes. That's exactly what I'm saying." He saw the stricken expression on the peacock's face and turned quickly, because he knew he'd lose his resolve if he saw him cry. Instead, he walked over to the mirror to straighten imaginary wrinkles before he began toward the door. "So I'll see you later. –Or I won't. It's your decision."

He made it to the bottom of the stairs before he heard the slap of bare feet on marble and began to turn, but then he felt hands gripping the back of his shirt tightly. He paused and tilted his head, raising an eyebrow as the blond's hands slid down his back to hesitantly grasp his white tail. Waiting for the blond to speak, he finally turned his head the smallest bit to peek over his shoulder, frowning when he saw the younger man's brows furrowed together and his gaze directed at his tail—though he knew if his tail hadn't been in the way, Joey would have been staring at his feet.

Joey bit his bottom lip and swallowed. "…I… I promised this to a very good friend, Seto. But if… if stopping is what it's gonna take to keep you, I… I can stop after this job. I'll do somethin' else." He looked up at him and swallowed again. "I… I wanna have children with you. I wanna have eggs with you." His breath hitched as the brunet turned to face him. "I wanna have sex with ya and lay our eggs."

Seto blinked. "…Right now?"

The blond slapped his arm and scowled. "_No,_ not right now! I meant forever! –Well, not lay your eggs forever, I don't want that many kids, but—" He bit his bottom lip again and blushed when the older boy's face seemed to brighten as he smiled, and his eyes began to glow with ethereal light that he rarely saw. "…Yeah. I'll stop after this job. T' be with you." He gasped as he was pulled up against the brunet's body in a tight hug and hid his face in his shoulder.

"You have no idea how happy that makes me, Joey. I just want to keep you safe," the phoenix murmured, nuzzling his throat. "I love you. I want to take care of you. …You arouse my nesting instincts. I just want to build a nest and keep you in it until we have a chirping chick."

Joey blushed and nuzzled his neck a little. "You'd need t' use some of your magic. I'm a peacock, remember, not a peahen."

"I'll look it up when I get back. I love you and expect you home by tomorrow at the latest," Seto purred, nipping his ear, before he stepped back. "I have to go now. But we'll talk tomorrow, okay?"

The blond smiled and nodded. "Okay." He let his eyes flutter closed as the older boy kissed him lightly and sighed, then smiled and watched him walk out. "Hmmm." He reached back to comb his feathers thoughtfully, then giggled and scampered back up to their room. The sooner he did this last job, the sooner he could see Seto smile at him like that again.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto grumbled as the door to his room slammed open and sat up, opening his mouth to remind the blond that the walls didn't exactly appreciate in value every time a door slammed into them, but frowned when he saw the figure he assumed was Joey just leaning in the doorway. He reached out to turn on the lamp beside the bed and let out a startled screech when he saw blood dripping from a wound on his side.

Joey whimpered as the brunet scooped him up and carried him to the bed, turning his head away as the older boy gently pried his hands from his side. "Seto-!"

"Let me go get some—No, this is too deep. Didn't hit anything important, though." Seto frowned and looked around for something for the blond to bite on, then sighed. "Bite my hand."

"But Seto, I—"

"I have to burn it closed. Bite my hand. It'll hurt." He waited for the blond to hesitantly close his teeth on his hand before he shoved his fingers into the wound and sent them aflame. He only flinched a little when the blond suddenly bit down harder, instead concentrating on the smell and sound of burnt flesh. "—There, I think that's done." Pulling his hand away, he stroked the blond's tearstained cheek, frowning. "Something went wrong?"

"_No,_ everything went _right,_" Joey whimpered. "I got the job finished, and everything was okay, but then my friend—he said it was time for me t' retire, and I remember wondering how he knew, but then he just stabbed me, and—" The blond's face relaxed into a frightening sort of calm. "I killed his competition, and now he's on top. I have one more job to finish before I retire, Seto."

Seto tilted his head, then nodded. "I understand. …We should probably have a doctor look at this." He cupped the blond's cheek and sighed as he saw the bruise blackening around his eye, then paused thoughtfully. "…Joey."

"Hmm?" the blond hummed, looking up at him inquisitively. "Yeah?"

"…Let _me_ take care of him," the phoenix suggested. "You said this was your last job, and then we could talk about eggs. Don't give him the satisfaction of your attention. Let _me_ handle him." He grinned, a dangerous expression that the blond had to admit both scared him and turned him on. "I'll crush him, but I won't kill him. That's far worse than death."

Joey frowned. "And just let him get away with—"

"At least until we've had an egg," Seto cut in smoothly. "Let him get powerful. Let him get comfortable. Then we'll _rip the rug out from under him._"

The blond blinked at him for a moment, then smiled. "Seto, you're a connivin' bastard. I like it." He flinched when he reached up to hug him and clapped a hand over his wound. "Ngh."

"Well, you're stuck with me, so even if you didn't, you'd have to _learn_ to like it. Stop moving." The phoenix leaned down to kiss him lightly. "Sleep. I'll take you to the hospital after you get some rest, and then we'll talk about eggs and your… _friend_ more, later."

Joey smiled again and sighed. "Okay, Seto. –Seto, how big are eggs s'posed t' be?"

Seto paused. "…Yes, I think we'll have to talk about this a _lot_ more."

"Is that your way of sayin' ya don't know or ya know I won't like it?"

The brunet's head dropped in frustration. "It's my way of saying I know you won't like what I _do_ know about it."

"…Okay. Well, I'm just gonna take a nap before ya take me t' the doctor. We'll talk about it after I'm doped on pain meds, okay? I won't be able t' hurt ya as bad then," the peacock replied, patting his hand comfortingly.

Seto sighed. He supposed it was the best they could do under the circumstances.

At least if Joey immediately went after his dick, he had some hope of fighting him off if he was doped. He wondered how he could convince the doctors to give Joey a strong prescription.

But then Joey was snoring quietly, so he tucked him in, figuring that things would work out in the end.

* * *

><p><span>Ending to Theme 54: Health and Healing (M)<span>

Seto purred, a feeling he had taken for granted and had really missed while he'd been a bird. He spread his wings and leapt into the air, enjoying the feeling of wind and sun on his scales. He'd never let his curiosity get the better of him again; if a witch was going to curse him, he'd eat her first. It was great to be in his real body again. He'd have to find a pretty trinket from his hoard for Joey, to thank him for everything.

Remembering the blond that had broken his curse for him, he turned, spreading his wings to land where he'd last seen him. He tapped down lightly and looked around for him. He knew he was a sight behold, so he wouldn't be surprised if the human had run away.

He frowned when he saw the blond had fainted, then shrugged slightly. It _had _been quite a powerful curse, and Joey was just a human, so if he had been knocked out, it wasn't that surprising. He curled his claws beneath the human and purred, lifting him up gently and letting his tongue out to taste the air, just in case he was truly hurt.

He licked his lips as he felt the flesh give under his claws, remembering just how delicate the human body was. He remembered the last human he'd eaten and wondered if Joey would be tougher because he was more muscular. He was certain the blond would at least taste better; that last human had been awful. Well, he at least deserved at least a little something for being so patient. Just an arm. –A leg, maybe! And if he tasted good enough, he'd just—

Seto immediately turned and bashed his skull into the nearest tree, growling quietly. Joey had broken his curse! Why was he planning on eating him already?

Forcing himself into his humanoid form, he immediately felt his desire to eat the blond fade, especially when he felt how thin and frail he was in his arms. Joey was still recovering from his own curse, and he'd just gone and freed Seto from his. He felt much too light and delicate for a human. He could probably still crush him even in his human form.

Seto blinked as he took in the blond's face, suddenly appreciating just how beautiful it was. In his raven form, he hadn't cared, and as a dragon, he'd only wanted to eat him, but in his human form… He sort of wanted to bruise those pouted lips until they were plump and red, and he wanted to put dark purple marks all over his throat and thighs. He wanted to spread the blond's thighs, pound between them violently as the human whimpered and squirmed.

He wanted to fuck him until the blond was too spent to move, then nuzzle him and pet him until he slept, planning to repeat the cycle later.

Seto blinked again, frowning, then let out a disgusted snort. This was a human. Humans were food, and if they _weren't_ food, they were pests. _But he's __**pretty,**_ a voice in the back of his mind argued. _He's __**begging**__ to be claimed and kept._ The brunet hissed. _You could stay between his thighs for __**hours.**_

It had been a while since he'd…

Joey turned his head and whimpered. "Ngh…"

Seto jumped, then looked around awkwardly to reorient himself. Spying the blond's small house, he walked over to it. _'How could I even think of taking advantage of him in this state?'_ He yelped as his wings slammed into the doorway on either side and flinched, then huffed and tucked them closer to his body to navigate the human's home without making a complete mess of things.

Once he had the blond stripped (he was so warm already that he felt bad even pulling the blankets over him) and tucked in bed, he dragged a chair over and sat down, feeling obligated to watch the younger boy. Joey _had_ been sick and cursed and beaten up. He was just repaying his debt. Yeah, that was it—Joey had done so much for him, he obviously had to do something to try and repay him. Like watch over him as he slept.

'…_I'd make an awful human.'_ Seto grimaced. _'All I think about is how I can take advantage of him.'_ He sighed, then frowned, resting his arms on the bed and leaning his chin on his arms. _'Well. I'm a dragon, after all. I'm not meant to be a human. Though I suppose wanting to fuck is a step up from wanting to eat. Ugh.'_

He sighed again and reached out to stroke the blond's cheek with the back of his hand, then played with his hair lightly. He couldn't help a smile when the human only sighed and leaned closer to it.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto sat up straight as Joey began to stir, then smiled. "How are you feeling?"

Joey blinked up at him blearily, then huffed. "'s not fair."

The brunet frowned. "…What."

"It's not fair." The younger boy threw his arm over his eyes and sighed. "You were so handsome as a bird, and now you're so handsome as a human. I bet you're _gorgeous_ as a dragon. It's not fair."

Seto blinked.

Joey sighed again and lifted his arm to peer up at him tiredly. "…Uh. I feel like my head got stepped on by a…well. A dragon."

"I did not step on you," Seto hissed, scowling.

The blond sighed. "I guess I believe ya. But ya did grow pretty fast. Last thing I saw before I passed out was… you, I guess."

The brunet tilted his head, frowning, then reached out to dig his hand into the younger boy's hair. "I don't feel any bumps or cuts. You seemed healthy enough when I squeezed you."

"Well, it's not like— …When you… squeezed me?" Joey asked quietly.

"…Well, I was feeling a little hungry, and clearly you were the easiest prey around, so—" the dragon began awkwardly.

"So your only conclusion was t' eat me," the blond whispered, frowning. "You were gonna—"

"No, no, no," Seto cut in quickly. "I didn't eat you. I _wasn't_ going to. I just thought about it. –Look, I didn't even bruise you!" He smiled awkwardly. "I mean, look, I was so careful with you—"

Joey narrowed his eyes. "Ya already told me about how ya hate bruised food when I tried t' give ya one of the old fruits my friend gave me as a bird."

"…But that's different!" The brunet laughed nervously. "You're a human, not a plant!"

The younger boy scowled. "No. It's not."

Seto frowned. "…I turned into a human so I wouldn't eat you, though…"

"Yes. Thank you for not eatin' me," the blond drawled, glaring at him. "Even though it's clear that the only reason ya didn't was because ya actually knew me and even that may not have stopped ya except for the fact that now you're in my _debt._"

"…I would have only eaten an arm. Or a leg. Maybe the leg. Or both." He flinched when the blond glared at him and slid out of his seat, hiding from view on the floor. "Sorry."

"…Whatever. I broke your curse, and that was all ya wanted from me, so why don't ya just go? Ya didn't eat me, so we can call it even." Joey rolled onto his side and frowned. "'sides, ya always told me that humans are pests. 'm surprised ya even stuck around."

Seto blinked, then sat up and frowned. "You cared for me for several days, Joey. Bringing you into your home and putting you to bed is not nearly enough to make up for the time you spent on me, especially with the physical exertion of breaking my curse." He paused as he remembered the blond's face, flushed and exhausted-looking as he ripped the black magic from his aura and cleansed it with his own.

Seeing him sweaty and exhausted, but looking so pleased… He could easily help the blond recreate that expression and—

"GAAAAH!"

Joey stared with wide eyes as the brunet immediately turned and bashed his head against the wall. "Seto, what the fuck-!" He reached out to grab his shoulders before he could try and hurt himself again. "Seto, what are ya doin'!"

Seto let out an embarrassed roar. "All I can think about is fucking you!"

The blond blinked, then blushed and drew his hands back quickly. "You… That's what ya…" He gulped and bit his bottom lip. "…I think I almost like ya wantin' t' eat me better."

"I could still eat you in this form. In fact, I still want to," the dragon replied. "Except not to consume you. To fu—"

Joey squealed and covered his mouth, blush darkening.

Seto stared back at him and, because his mouth was covered, merely whined earnestly. His brows furrowed together slightly as he whined again.

The blond looked away, then bit his bottom lip and looked back up at him, uncovering his mouth and instead letting his hands drift in further to cup his cheeks. "…That's not a very romantic suggestion, Seto."

"I—" The dragon paused, frowning. "…I would… like to kiss you, at least."

"…Okay," Joey whispered, smiling nervously.

Seto reached out to touch his cheek, hesitating, then leaned in and carefully pressed their lips together. He slid his hand into the human's hair and sighed, nibbling the blond's lower lip gently before crawling onto the bed. He leaned him down onto the bed and crawled over him, tail twisting around to curl under the blankets.

Joey gasped as the brunet's tail slid the blankets down and flinched as the cool air immediately rushed in to meet his warm skin. "Uhn-!" He broke the kiss and mewled, squirming embarrassedly. "Set'—ya took my clothes off—"

"You were so hot," the brunet whined. "Humans aren't supposed to be that hot. I wanted to help you cool down." He laid his hand on the blond's hip. "But now I'm just heating you back up…"

"I'm a human and you're just gonna eat me when you're done—" Joey began frantically, but was silenced when the brunet kissed him again. He moaned and turned his head away, arching his hips arching his back a little. "Seto, this isn't gonna _work—_"

Seto snarled. "I'll _make _it work."

Joey whimpered and lifted his legs to wrap them around the brunet's waist. "Seto, some point you're gonna slip up and I'll be gone in one bite-!"

"I'd at least make it two bites," the dragon muttered, carefully wedging the tip of his tail in the blond's entrance. "But I'll make this work. I _will._"

"_Uhn!_" The human gasped and bit his bottom lip again as the brunet's tail carefully wriggled around and the sharp tip brushed against something that made him see stars. "_Seto!_" He reached up to clutch at the brunet's wings as the older boy ground their hips together, moaning loudly as his bare cock rubbed against the brunet's cloth-covered one. "Seto, Seto, Seto!"

Seto growled and bit the blond's throat lightly, sharp teeth leaving little nicks on skin as the hands grasping his wings clenched them tighter. "Joey-!"

"Seto! Seto! _Seto!_" Joey screamed as he came, scrabbling wildly at his scaled shoulders until he came down from his high, chest heaving. "Seto… Uh…" He peeled open his eyes he hadn't realized he'd closed and sighed as the brunet began licking him clean. "…This isn't gonna work," he whispered tiredly.

The brunet growled. "Yes it will."

"You're not gonna be in this form all the time. You're gonna change back into a dragon. You're gonna eat me," Joey whispered, frowning. "Seto, ya already told me that ya wanted t' eat me. Just stop. This isn't gonna—"

"YES IT WILL!" Seto roared angrily, then whined and nuzzled against the blond's neck. "It will. I'll even stay in this form forever if I have to. –I can have that witch curse me back into a bird. You fed me, healed me, put up with me, broke my curse—please don't make me leave."

Joey turned his head away and sighed. "…Seto…"

Seto sat up straight and whined. "Then I'll become a human and you won't have to worry about it!"

"You'd never be happy like that. I know it. Seto, just face it—this isn't going to work." The blond reached up to cup his cheek. "It won't. Seto, if it's just sex, we can do it a few times and then ya can go back," he offered, frowning. "I mean, if that's all—"

The brunet whined, unable to explain that it _wasn't_ all. He had to repay him somehow, had to get out of his debt. But there was also something inside him that told him that he needed to keep this human as his—not because he was _special_ as a Curse Breaker and not because he considered him _attractive_, but because this human was _meant_ to be his. To love, to provide for, to cuddle, to make love to—he just wanted to mark the blond as his and keep him whether he agreed or not.

Seto whined again, paused, then let out a snarl and stood. "I'll be back."

Joey sat up a little and fought a wave of dizziness. "Nn—I'll just—make sure t' have lube next time so you're not—" He mewed in confusion as he was eased back down into a laying position and the blankets pulled up over him. "Seto?"

Seto cupped his cheek gently. "Rest. I pushed you too hard to break my curse. If you don't rest, you'll get sick, and it would be my fault. Just lie here and rest." He brushed the blond's hair out of his eyes, trailed his claws over his cheek gently, then turned and left the small house.

Joey frowned as he watched the shutters rattle as the dragon outside took flight, assuming that he'd changed back into his dragon form. He tried to sit up again, but he had to admit he was tired and perhaps Seto was right. He had been weak when he'd broken his curse and he really should rest. So, sighing, he turned onto his side and curled up for a nap.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto curled up behind the blond and began to purr, smiling as the human cuddled up against his rumbling chest. "Mine."

"Mm… 'm not yers." Joey scowled a little and huffed. "'sides, ya left for half a week and ya just crawl into bed with me. Didn't win ya any points."

"Not interested in points." The brunet purred and pushed him onto his back so he could crawl on top of him, settling between his legs. "Look what I got."

The human scowled. "Psh. Ya got a tattoo on your chest. Big fuckin' deal. Doesn't make me wanna—"

"It's a curse-mark, not a tattoo," Seto deadpanned.

Joey frowned, immediately concerned. "That witch find out I broke your curse and slap ya with another one? I'm still too weak t' break another one, but I can try—"

"_No,_" the brunet snarled, then dipped his head to begin making hickeys on his throat. "This one stays."

The human blinked and looked at him in confusion. "You… wanna _keep_ this curse?"

"The witch cursed me because she was bored, and I allowed it because _I_ was bored—thinking it wouldn't have any affect. I believed she wasn't powerful enough. In any case," Seto explained, leaning back. "I went back to her and asked her to curse me again."

Joey scowled. "Well I hope ya don't expect me t' take care of this one, too-!" Despite his words, he reached up to gently place his hand over the curse mark, to try and get a feel of just how powerful it was.

Seto grabbed his hand and purred louder. "I don't want you to. She's cursed me to hate the taste of human flesh."

"Well I can still— …What?" The blond looked up at him and swallowed nervously in disbelief. "You… Ya let her curse ya so ya don't… _wanna_ eat me?"

The dragon continued to purr. "I'll be honest. I still want to eat you in the filthiest of ways." He pet between the blond's legs when he only blinked in response. "I'll be gentle."

Joey sat up swiftly. "You let her curse ya so ya can't eat me." He blushed as he realized that the curse obviously extended to other humans, but that was still a huge step, considering that Seto had actually enjoyed eating humans and often commented on whether or not someone would taste good whenever Joey took a break at the tavern.

Seto's purr faded awkwardly when the response he received was far from the happy-horny-sex he'd been expecting. "…Joey? Aren't you pleased?"

The blond blushed and traced his fingers over the curse mark gently, following the black and red lines over his shoulders and wrapping his arms around his neck. "…Ya gave up eatin' your favorite food for me, Seto. Why wouldn't I be pleased?" he whispered, tears forming in his eyes.

The dragon whined. "Then why are you crying?"

"…'cause I'm happy," Joey replied quietly, leaning up to kiss his cheek. "'m cryin' 'cause I'm happy, Seto. That means so much t' me."

Seto frowned. He didn't understand why he would cry if he was happy. He whined again, then buried his face in the blond's neck, nipping and sucking gently. "Will you be mine now, Joey? Now that I can't eat you?" He sighed quietly as the younger boy held him tighter. "Please?"

Joey dug a hand into his hair as he leaned back to look at him, smiling through his tears. "Okay. Yeah, I will. I'll be yours."

The dragon smiled and licked the blond's bottom lip gently. "Mine… Finally mine…"

The younger boy mewled and held him closer. "Mm… Like that… Mine…"

Seto paused, then began to purr. "Yours… I like it too."

"Nyee!" Joey giggled and nuzzled his neck. "Show me how much ya like it."

_There_ was the happy-horny-sex he'd been expecting. Seto was only too happy to oblige.

* * *

><p><span>Ending to Theme 70: Bitter Silence<span>

Seto rubbed his hands together and grinned, licking his lips in anticipation. It had been quite some time he'd had fresh meat, and the deer demon in front of him looked ripe for the killing, wounded and bellowing in pain in front of him. He leaned down, ready to pounce on it and rip it to shreds.

He heard a whistling sound and blinked, but then a black-tan-gold blur slammed down in front of him, right on the deer demon and ripping its throat out. His jaw fell open in shock before he was filled with rage. He stood and roared. "THAT WAS MINE!"

Joey turned to look at him in surprise, then blinked and glanced down at the deer carcass. "…Wanna share?"

"NO, I DO NOT WANT TO SHARE, BECAUSE IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE _MINE!_" the brunet roared.

"…You're bein' incredibly selfish about his, ya know. There's enough here for both of us, and I don't—"

"There is not nearly enough here for both of us," Seto hissed angrily. "There is barely enough there to be enough for _just me._" Hooked his tail around the blond's waist and tossed him aside. "Move it."

Joey squawked as he landed face-first in the mud, then sat up in disgruntlement. "That hurt! –And now I'm dirty!" He let out an angry screech when he saw the brunet already stuffing his face with meat. "_And now you're eatin' my deer!_"

Seto was on him in a flash, roaring angrily. "IT WAS MINE AND YOU STOLE IT."

The blond flinched, suddenly feeling as if it would be better to agree with him. "Oh."

"STOP BOTHERING ME AND LET ME EAT!"

"Okay." He watched the other demon immediately return to eating and flinched again. "…You're not even gonna let me have a bite?" When the brunet turned and roared at him wordlessly, he frowned and sat back. "…Not even a nibble?" He yelped as the brunet promptly turned and threw a leg at him. "BWAH!"

"LET ME EAT IN PEACE!" Seto snarled, then turned and began stuffing his face as quickly as possible. The sooner he ate, the sooner he could leave.

Joey, however, was much better at inhaling his food, so he sat and waited patiently for the brunet to finish eating.

Seto grumbled, turned, and began walking away, tail lashing angrily. "Leave me alone."

The blond began following him, frowning. "But Seto, ya brought me back for a reason. Ya _made_ me this for a reason. Why won't ya just tell me why?"

The dragon-demon rolled his eyes and sighed angrily. "Because the idea of speaking with you rationally fills me with such rage that I want to kill you, which would make pouring my magic and soul into you a waste."

Joey dashed up beside him and whined. "But Seto, I didn't know what would happen when I stabbed ya, and ya _scared_ me! What'd ya want me t' do? Ya always said ya hated floor mats!"

"You're damn right," the brunet snarled, before he turned and glared at him. "And you _should_ have known. It's one of the first things you're taught before summoning. To hurt or kill the demon you summoned, you use a piece of the animal the demon takes after. That's _simple summoning knowledge!_" When the blond only blinked at him, he scowled. "You didn't think I was a dragon-demon, did you?"

The younger boy blushed and bit his bottom lip. "It's just, dragon-demons are so rare, I never expected t' be able t' summon one. I thought maybe you were a lizard or somethin'."

"I _allowed_ you to summon me because I was bored and humans are more fun to fuck," Seto stated shortly. "You're no longer a human and so I no longer find the idea of fucking you appealing. I don't even like you. Please leave me alone and go find someone else to sate you."

Joey frowned as the brunet turned and began walking away, wings wilting awkwardly as he asked, "Then why did ya save me?"

Seto froze and looked down at his feet, gripping his hands into tight fists. "…It was an awful moment of weakness. I remembered the pain of the last human I lost and did not want to feel it again." He huffed. "If I'd known you'd be this bothersome, though, I might have dealt with it."

He stiffened as the blond slid his arms around his waist and pressed up against his side with a whine, rolling his eyes in annoyance as the younger boy's wings fluttered. "But ya must feel somethin' for me. Ya coulda done this for any of the other humans, but I'm the first one. Why?"

Seto looked down at his feet and sighed. "…Something about you. Something about the way you looked at me just told me that you… you'd survive. That you'd fit in as a dragon-demon—especially when I saw your wings." He turned to look at the blond and began to smile. "Joey, I did that with you because—"

Joey looked up at him so earnestly that it almost hurt to return his gaze. "Yeah?"

"…Because I…" Seto saw the row of fading hickeys on the blond's neck and frowned. He'd been trying to ignore them, because he knew that winged demons were amorous and he'd been neglecting him, but suddenly he saw them with such clarity that his heart ached. "…Never mind," he sighed, pulling away from him and beginning to walk away.

The blond frowned, tears forming in his eyes. "You… ya won't even… but Seto-!" He whimpered, wings wilting again, then began to sob. "Seto ya haven't talked t' me in weeks and I'm so horny and everyone says it's 'cause I have wings but I don't wanna have sex with anyone else I only wanna have sex with you and I'm hungry and I'm tired and I wanna just curl up with ya and just _sit_ even though I'd really like sex and I'd settle for a kiss and a nibble on your ear and Seto all I really wanna do is hug ya I feel so awful will ya just tell me what I hafta do t' stop feelin' this way!"

Seto turned toward him in surprise, then whined quietly as he watched the blond scrub at his eyes even as tears continued to roll down his cheeks. He stepped up to him and cupped his cheeks with a soothing coo, leaning in to kiss his bottom lip a few times lightly. "Stop crying. You're fine."

"'m tired an' 'm hungry an' 'm _horny—_" Joey began, hiccupping, but the brunet moved his kisses to the corner of his mouth, and he slowly found himself being calmed down. "Seto…"

"You're grumpy," the older boy explained quietly. "You're still just a child in demon standards. You need a nap and maybe another snack and you'll feel better."

The blond whined loudly. "But I'm not a kid I'm an adult I was almost a full-fledged summoner when ya turned me!"

"You're a child here," Seto stated firmly, scooping the blond into his arms and carrying him back to his den. "You'll still be a child for several decades. Come on. Let's go put you to bed."

Joey whined again and hid his face in the brunet's neck. "…C'n I have a glass of water?"

Seto blinked, then chuckled quietly and patted his back. "I'll see if I can find something to use as a glass."

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto tucked the blond underneath some thick furs and stroked his cheek, then sighed and sat down beside him, frowning. "If I'd known this would lead to me becoming your nanny, I would have just left you to be grumpy."

Joey mewed, frowning. "Cup o' water?"

"Hmm? It's by your pillow."

"Oh." Joey reached out for the leaf that had been wrapped around into a cup, sipping from the edge of it, then turned and curled up against the brunet's back. "Sleep with meeee."

Seto rolled his eyes and sighed. "It's a nap. I'm too old for naps."

The blond purred. "We could turn it into somethin' else."

"No. You're grumpy when you're tired. Go to sleep."

Joey frowned and pulled on his arm. "Seto?"

"What?" The brunet turned back to him and raised an eyebrow, frowning as well. "Another cup of water?" When the younger boy shook his head and hid his face beneath the furs, he sighed. "What is it, Joey?"

"…You were gonna tell me why ya turned me, but I did somethin' that made ya mad. Are ya still mad? Will ya tell me?" He ducked further under the furs. "Please? I just wanna get ya t' forgive me. What do I hafta do for that t' happen?"

Seto frowned and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "…I was upset because of the hickeys on your neck. I was going to tell you that the only reason the change worked was because you're meant to be my mate, but when I saw that you'd been marked my another demon's mouth, I just… I just wanted to…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Waitaminute! What hickeys are ya talkin' about? the blond cut in, scowling, and sat up.

The brunet scowled. "The ones on your neck. I just said that. _GAH!_" He grabbed the back of his head and turned to glare at him in confusion. "The fuck was that for!"

"THOSE WEREN'T HICKEYS THOSE WERE MOSQUITO BITES!" Joey roared, glaring at him, then sobbed and pulled the furs over his head. "You think I'd just sleep with anyone, don't ya! But most humans don't—most humans like one partner at a time—and I don't know anyone here except you and I'd never sleep with someone I didn't know-! I don't know what all of those demons could do t' me—they coulda ripped me apart or had tentacles or somethin' gross—" He sobbed again. "I know ya hate me for stabbin' ya but thinkin' I'd just sleep with _anybody_ I came across-?"

Seto frowned. "We have mosquitoes here?" He flinched as the blond wailed and reached out to place his hands where he figured the other demon's shoulders were beneath the furs. "That was _not_ the only thing I heard of your speech. I just hadn't realized that there were mosquitoes dumb enough to try and feed off of powerful demons."

Joey poked his head out and sniffled, eyes red and swollen and cheeks damp. "…I'm a powerful demon?"

"Of course you are," the brunet huffed, scowling. "All dragon-demons are. Just because you're a child doesn't mean you aren't powerful."

"I AM NOT A CHILD!" the younger boy roared angrily, cheeks flushing further.

Seto raised an eyebrow and tilted his head skeptically.

Joey glanced away from him after a moment, then huddled back under the furs. "…'nother cup o' water?"

The brunet snorted and reached out to grab the leaf that served as his cup. "Here, finish this cup first."

The younger boy poked out of the furs just long enough to drink the rest of the water in the cup before disappearing again, tail lashing in embarrassment. Seto chuckled as he retrieved another cup of water for him before setting it beside the quivering lump of furs and setting his hand on it gently. "I'm sorry. I had no right to assume you'd just go and sleep with the nearest warm body. However, you have to admit that I had a right to be angry for being stabbed."

Joey sniffled and somehow made his nodding visible from beneath the furs. "Yeah." He bit his bottom lip and peeked out from under the fur. "I'm so sorry about that, Seto. I just… I was just so scared and confused. An' ya wouldn't take no for an answer, wouldn't even lemme ask any questions. I just grabbed what I could t' make ya stop so I could figure out what was goin' on."

Seto tilted his head, frowning. "I'm not going to apologize for scaring you. I told you what I would do the moment you made a mistake in your symbols and I am not sorry for keeping my word—and I am _certainly_ not sorry for scaring you in the process." He turned to look down at the blond and sighed. "I hope you're not waiting for an apology, because I promise now that I will _never_ feel the need to apologize. I wasn't wrong."

"…I figured, yeah," the blond whispered, then reached out to slide his fingers over the tiers of the older boy's tail. "…Sleep with me," he ordered after a moment, looking up at him.

Seto turned to look at him and raised an eyebrow, opening his mouth to state that he was no longer a child and napping now would ruin his sleeping routine, but after a moment, he lifted the furs and slid under them as well. Settling against the blond's smaller body, he buried his face in the younger demon's hair and sighed. "Mmm…"

"Seto, I missed ya." Joey hugged him tightly and hooked a leg over his hip, pressing up against him. "Even when I was with ya, you didn't want me near ya. I missed ya so much." He cuddled closer and cooed. "Ya don't hafta forgive me yet. And I'm not askin' ya t' apologize. Just… just please say you'll forgive me eventually, and try t' not hold my fear against me. Just 'cause I summoned ya all the time didn't mean I wasn't terrified of ya whenever ya showed up."

The brunet glanced down at him and frowned. He'd sounded so… sad. It almost made him feel guilty. "I've forgiven you," he stated after a moment, kissing his temple lightly. "I may still be angry that you _didn't know_ what would happen, but I do forgive you. I just… I'm angry about almost losing you, I suppose. You scared me. I don't like being scared. I hate that you have that power over me."

Joey nuzzled his chest. "I'm sorry. …Would it have been better if I—"

"No," Seto cut in swiftly. "…No. Let's not think about that. You're here and you're mine, and that's all that matters now," Seto whispered, curling his tail around the blond's and kissing him lightly. "If you ever suggest that again after all of the trouble I went through, I'll be forced to spank you. With my tail. And my tail hurts more than my hand." He waited for an indignant rebuttal, but when he only received a long, low hum, he glanced down and smiled when he saw the blond dozing on his chest. "Hmm. Don't argue being about being a child anymore. You're exhausted."

Joey hummed again and kissed the skin beneath his lips lightly. "Hmmm."

"Have a good nap, Joey," the brunet sighed, kissing his temple again before settling in for a long wait. He wasn't going to nap, but he had to admit he was quite comfortable. He didn't mind waiting as long as it was like this. Especially when Joey would wake up just long enough to kiss him before dozing back off.

* * *

><p><span>Ending to Theme 75: Shadows (M)<span>

"Ungh…!" Joey gasped and gripped the blankets in his hands tightly, nails digging through them and into his palms as he felt a hot tongue running over the inside of his calf. "Please—please, Seto—my priest, please—"

Seto purred and trailed the tip of his finger over the length of the blond's cock, smirking as the younger boy whimpered and arched his hips up. "Quite an experience, isn't it, being unable to see?"

"Setooo!" The dancer sobbed and tugged at the silk tying his hands to the bed. "Please, I just—I'm going to—" He screamed and jerked his hips up as he came. "_Seto!_"

The brunet purred again and settled himself beside him, reaching up to pull the silk ribbon from around his eyes. "You lasted longer this time. I'm proud of you."

"Hhh… No wonder everyone never lasted long while I was ridin' 'em…" He sighed and let his eyes flutter shut. "Seto… How long are ya gonna keep me? I thought you and the Pharaoh would be leavin' in a couple days. How long have ya kept me in here, anyway?"

"It's only been a day." Seto traced his fingers down the blond's side, pushing the swatch of satin from his body and admiring the younger boy's nude form. "Hmm… I bet I could tie your ankles over your head and it wouldn't hurt. If only all concubines could be as skilled as you."

Joey blinked and peeled his eyes open. "Hmm? No. What?" He looked up at the brunet and frowned. "I'm not a concubine. I'm a dancer. I only have sex with the important visitors that show interest in me. …Like you. You're my first lover in quite some time."

The priest blinked in surprise, then grinned—a somewhat scary expression on him, he'd been told. "Is that so?"

"Um… Yes? _Eek!_" The blond yelped as he was dragged onto the older boy's lap and blushed as he felt the priest's hard cock between his cheeks. "Don't ya ever get _tired?_" he complained, but laid his head on the brunet's shoulder and shifted into the most accommodating position he could. "Mm, put it in."

Seto cupped his cheek to kiss him lightly. "As you wish."

.-.-.-.-.-.

"You don't have to wear that anymore," Seto stated, despite knowing that he was engaging in a losing battle.

Joey had been too afraid to show his face to anyone else after years of hiding it that as soon as Seto had opened the door to lead him out of the bedroom, it was back in place. Of course, he'd later learned that it would have been hell if he'd exited without it, simply because his master didn't want anyone to see his face. He just didn't know why the blond insisted on still wearing it even though he'd been paid for and would be set free as soon as they returned to the palace.

Joey peered up at him, eyelashes fluttering up at him sweetly. "If you say so, my Priest."

Seto grunted in annoyance and kicked his horse to trot up by his cousin. "That boy's impossible."

"…You know that fair-haired people burn more easily, right?" Atem asked after a moment. "I was told he was rarely even allowed outside the confines of the man's home. He earned the privilege to go into the garden if he particularly pleased one of the guests."

The brunet stared at him for a moment. "Burns more easily?"

"He's pale," the pharaoh deadpanned.

"…I just keep getting so distracted by his eyes fluttering at me that I forget he's not Egyptian."

"Think with your brain and not your penis," Atem suggested. "That might help."

Seto glared at him. "It's difficult when he looks up at me like he wants to ride me instead of his horse."

The younger man smiled. "Look at the bright side! He probably does."

Seto looked back at the blond and swallowed thickly as the younger boy returned his gaze heatedly and slid his hands between his legs. He couldn't see what his hands were doing, as the horse's head was in the way, but the way the dancer arched his back and sighed, he could only assume they were doing something that he wanted in on.

He wondered if buying the blond with the intent to make him his lover had been a good idea. While he'd fallen in love with his innocence to the world outside of his country, Joey had been so cute when he'd worried about being ugly that it had really sealed the note.

He just hadn't realized how pleased Joey would be with him. Or how much of a tease.

What had he gotten himself into?

* * *

><p><span>Ending to Theme 90: Nowhere and Nothing (M)<span>

Seto sat up and sighed, leaning his elbows on his knees for a moment. "Shit."

The younger man sleeping beside him stirred, looking up at him blearily in concern. "Seto? Ya alright?"

"No. No, I'm not," the brunet muttered, frowning. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed again.

Joey sat up and reached into the drawer of the bedside table, pulling out a paper and some tobacco. "'nother flashback? You should see someone about 'em. –I know, ya don't wanna talk about it—" He licked the paper and folded it shut, then turned to offer it to him. "Tell me if ya need another one, 'kay?" He lit the tip of the cigarette with a short flash of fire from the tip of his finger. "'nd we need more tobacco if you're gonna smoke like this every—MM!" He gasped as the brunet grabbed his hair and yanked him into a kiss, reaching up to grab his shoulders, then mewed as he was pressed down back down on the bed. "Mn…"

Seto broke the kiss and leaned back, taking a drag from his cigarette. "Hmm. Not a flashback. Just a nightmare."

Joey blinked slowly. "…Oh?"

"Dreamt that I watched you and Mokuba go up in flames right in front of me. There wasn't even ash left. There was nothing." Seto took one last drag of the cigarette, crushed the remains in his hand, and dropped them into an ashtray. He crawled on top of the blond and kissed him again lightly.

Joey sighed and dug his fingers into the brunet's hair before hesitantly asking, "Like the others did, on that battlefield?"

Seto stared at the ugly pink flower on the pillowcase right next to the blond's ear, focusing on it rather than the memories of screams and blood and the smell of burnt flesh. "…Yes."

"…We're okay, Seto. We're at peace now," the younger man whispered, frowning. "I was only gone for a few months. I didn't even see any battle. 'nd Mokuba's still too young. We're okay, Seto."

The brunet sighed quietly. "…I was so angry when you had to leave. I didn't want you to get hurt like I did. I was afraid I'd never see you again."

"But ya did." Joey lifted his hand to run it through the older man's hair. "'m here. Seto." He hooked one of legs around the brunet's waist and leaned up to kiss him lightly. "I'm okay."

Seto leaned his forehead against the blond's shoulder and sighed. "…I'm going to go see a doctor tomorrow. I can't do this anymore. I can't put _you_ through this anymore."

The younger man frowned in concern. "Huh?"

"You shouldn't have to put up with all of this. You shouldn't wake up whenever I have a nightmare or flashback just to make and light a cigarette for me because I'm still shaking from adrenaline," the brunet muttered, frowning. "You don't deserve this. And neither do I."

Joey blinked, brows furrowing together slowly. "Seto, I don't mind. I—"

"Yes you do," Seto cut in. "You mind, but you put up with it because you love me." He cupped the blond's cheek. "I hate this, Joey. I hate knowing that you're afraid for my health, but resigned that you can't force me to help myself. I feel awful, making you feel that way. I want to get better, so I stop waking up like this. …I want to get better, so I don't worry you anymore."

The blond bit his bottom lip and whimpered, glancing away from him quickly. "Seto, that means so much t' me. I didn't wanna push ya, but this is gonna help so much." He sniffed and looked back up at him. "I'm so glad."

The older man leaned down to kiss him and nipped his earlobe lightly. "I'll talk to a doctor tomorrow."

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey frowned as he felt Seto sit up beside him and sighed. It had been a couple of weeks since Seto had last had a nightmare, so he'd foolishly hoped he was better, even though he knew it was a process and that just because he had good days now didn't mean he would no longer have any bad. Rubbing his eyes tiredly, he reached toward the drawer that held the cigarette papers and tobacco.

He mewed in surprise as the brunet grabbed his wrist and tugged him over so he was flat on his back, suddenly fearful that the older man was having a flashback and hadn't realized he was home and safe. "Seto, wai—" He squeaked as the brunet spread his legs. "Hey-!" He grabbed his shoulders and squirmed a little, yelping as the older man thrust into him. "_Seto!_"

Seto leaned his face into the blond's neck and sighed. "Not a nightmare this time."

"_Oh…!_" Joey tossed his head back and squealed as the brunet pushed his thighs up, pressing his legs between their chests. "Seto! Ah-!" He opened his mouth to ask what the hell he was doing, just pouncing on him in the middle of the night, but then the older man's mouth was on his and he was suddenly too distracted by the tongue wrestling with his own to speak.

Seto reached between them to gently grasp his erection and began to stroke it in time with his thrusts, breaking the kiss as the younger man threw his head back to groan loudly. "Know what I dreamed?"

"Was it fuckin' me-?" the blond asked breathlessly. He arched his back and whimpered. "Oh, Seto-! 'm gonna come!"

"Good. Do it." The older man smirked as the fire mage screeched and arched back, body shaking as he reached his climax. He grunted as the blond's body tightened around him and thrust into him a few more times before reaching his own, hands clamping down on his hips tightly. "Damn. How do you always get so tight?"

"Hhh…" Joey mewed again as the brunet let his legs fall back onto the bed, lifting an arm to cover his eyes as he panted. "Seto, what _was_ that?"

Seto kissed his throat gently and settled more firmly between his legs. "I just had the most wonderful dream."

The blond hummed, still somewhat lost in afterglow. "Yeah? What was it about?"

Seto reached over to his own bedside table and pulled out a velvet covered box. "I dreamt that I asked you to accept this, and you said yes."

Joey blinked slowly and sat up a little, looking at the box, then gasped and looked up at the brunet in surprise. "Really?" He smiled. "_Really?_"

"I've put off asking, because I didn't want to trap you with someone who had nightmares and flashbacks every night," the brunet replied quietly. "The doctor says I'm making great progress. I'm getting better. I thought, if I keep getting better, I won't be such a horrible person to be married to."

The younger man opened his mouth, closed it, then sobbed, eyes filling with tears. "Seto…"

Seto frowned. "Is that a no?"

Joey threw an arm around his neck and offered his other hand out, allowing the brunet to slip the ring onto his finger. Once the ring was on, he slid his other arm around his neck and held him tightly. "Seto, I love you!"

The brunet blinked. "…So that's a yes?"

"Of course it's a yes! I wouldn't put up with this long if I didn't wanna be with ya forever!" the younger man exclaimed, hugging him even tighter. "Ooh, Seto, this makes me so happy!" He gasped and leaned back. "Seto, I don't have a ring for you!"

Seto raised an eyebrow. "You don't have money to buy a ring for me. I figured I'd buy my own." When the blond scowled, he sighed. "You could make that breakfast pie for the next few weeks. I'd accept that as an acceptable engagement present."

Joey stared. "…Ya mean the quiche?"

"Um. Yeah, I guess. If that's what you call the breakfast pie," the brunet replied, shrugging.

The blond scowled. "I don't understand why ya like it so much. It's really not that special."

Seto smiled. "It's a pie crust filled with fluffy eggs, cheese, and vegetables. What _isn't_ special about it?"

"…You're stupid," Joey stated bluntly. He cupped the brunet's cheek and managed a small smile of his own. "But I guess all that crazy had t' go somewhere, huh? And I guess… 'breakfast pie' isn't necessarily a bad thing."

Seto kissed him lightly. "I'm glad you can embrace this quirk. It's much better than flashbacks, right?"

The blond smiled and kissed him back, a little less chastely, but not a full on open-mouthed kiss. "I'll take a food obsession over flashbacks, any day."

"Good. …Then you wouldn't mind baking a triple chocolate cake for dessert after supper tomorrow either?"

Joey smacked his shoulder but began to laugh anyway.

* * *

><p><span>Ending to Theme 91: Answers<span>

Seto bit his bottom lip to choke back a sob and dug his hands into the mud, muscles straining as he forced his beautiful white tail to split in half. Once he'd split it all the way up to his pelvic bone, he groaned and began shaping the two halves into legs. He tried to think back to what he'd felt before, each muscle and bone—even the strange 'knees' that Joey insisted humans had to have. Shaking with exertion, he choked back a scream of agony as he his scales fell away and were replaced by smooth, fragile skin.

There was a short moment where he wondered if it was worth all of this pain. He couldn't imagine why he was doing this, why he was putting himself through this torture.

Then he remembered.

Joey crying, saying he wasn't going to be able to come to the docks anymore. Joey sobbing that he was so sorry, that he couldn't become a Mer, that he wished he could but he had too many responsibilities as a human. Joey explaining that his mother was finally getting custody of him and he'd have to move in with her on the other side of the city, nowhere near any water to visit him.

Joey kissing him and telling him that tomorrow would be the last night he'd see him. Ever.

Seto let out a roar of pain and punched the mud beneath him angrily.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Seto?" Joey frowned and leaned over the edge of the dock. "Seto? I—I know you're angry with me, but please come out so I can say goodbye. Please." His eyes filled with tears. "Don't make me leave like this. Please."

A moment later a hand broke the water and scrabbled wildly at the dock, nails digging into the wood and scratching frantically.

Thinking maybe it was a human and that was the reason Seto wasn't there (Seto was a strong swimmer, so this couldn't possibly be him), Joey reached out to grab the wrist and drag the person onto the dock.

When the brunet he dragged onto the wood expelled a mouthful of water and began coughing, he let go of him and stumbled backward, landing on his ass and staring at the other person in confusion. It looked like Seto. He sort of sounded like Seto as he gasped out curses and coughed. But it couldn't be Seto. He had legs. Seto had a beautiful white tail.

The other boy sat up, panting, then ran a hand through his hair to get it out of his face. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. –Well no wonder ya almost drowned!" Joey exclaimed angrily when he watched the brunet drag up a large, heavy-looking bag out of the water as well. He stood up and stomped his foot. "Just what sort of idiot are y—"

"Well you can't expect me to subsist off of nothing," the other boy spat, scowling, and sat back.

The blond blushed and screeched, "WHY ARE YOU NAKED!"

"Because Mers don't wear clothes, idiot. I don't see why humans wear them. They get in the way," the brunet grumbled, spreading his legs out in front of him. He gazed at them a moment, then looked back up at the blond. "You might have to let me feel your legs again. I'm not sure I made mine correctly."

Joey stared. "…Seto?"

"Who else would swim in this forsaken filth?" Seto snarled, then reached into the bag and pulled out what the blond could only assume were pants. He managed to get his feet into them before he looked back up at the other boy, frowning when he saw his shocked expression. "…Isn't this what you wanted? You were adamant that you would not become a Mer, but you didn't want to leave me. Now we can be together."

"But I'm movin' in with my ma and I don't think she'll let me just drag in some former-fish guy!" the blond exclaimed helplessly.

"I'm not a fish guy," the Mer huffed, glaring at him. "I'm your lover."

"…You're my what now? When did that happen?" Joey glared at him sternly. "That's a pretty big assumption, asshole."

"It's not an assumption. It's a fact. You're mine. I have made this change for you." Seto paused. "…Even if you reject me completely, I don't think I have the strength to change back."

The blond tried to stay offended, to stay angry, but eventually sighed and sat down in front of him. "…Ya can't change back now?"

"It was awful. I wanted to die halfway through the change," the Mer replied honestly. "But I didn't. Because I wanted to be with my Other Half."

Joey blushed and bit his bottom lip. "…'nd that's me."

"Yes." Seto opened the bag again and pulled out a handful of pearls. "I collected these. I'm told they're rare and expensive, because they're natural." He looked up at the human and smiled awkwardly. "Of course, if it's not enough, I could always make more."

The blond raised an eyebrow. "And how would ya _make more?_"

"…It's probably better if I don't explain it."

Joey stared. "…Yeah, it probably is."

"…So. Do you think your mother will like me if we tell her I'm rich?"

The younger boy buried his face in hands, torn between laughing and sighing in frustration.

Seto frowned. "From what I've heard, humans like rich people. Isn't that a point in my favor?"

"Oh, just… _Oh,_ _you're impossible,_" the blond muttered viciously, then stood. "Come on. We have a lot t' talk about and we're not gonna get done before the cops take their rounds here." He offered the Mer his hand, grumbling again when they realized that he'd have to be carried; even if his legs had been created perfectly, he had very little strength in them.

At least he'd been able to watch Seto face plant, though. That had almost been worth the awkward situation he would soon have to deal with when his mother came to pick him up and found he had a rich boyfriend he'd never mentioned to bring along, too.


End file.
